Results 1 to 23 of 23
-
2011-02-21, 08:05 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2007
- Location
- San Antonio, Texas
- Gender
[L5R] To Be A Wave: A Tale of a Twenty Goblin Winter
"We always run the games we want to play in." -Me
Ok, so we have a player who's a bit of an L5R nut. Unfortunately, that means she seldom gets to play because, if you're going to play L5R, chances are she's the one who's DMing. To be nice, I've been kicking around some L5R games of the type I want to run. However, I want some help refining the idea.
The basic concept is that, about two years ago, the old Emperor died, leaving one youngish (post-gempukku, but before he turns 20) son as the new Hantei. Coinciding with the death of the old emperor, there was a wave of assassinations across the empire, leaving many samurai ronin. The players will be these ronin, of whatever background they like, during a "Twenty Goblin Winter"... an event declared by the Champion of the Crab Clan, where anyone coming with 20 Goblin heads is adopted into the Crab Clan.
Simple idea. Get players not really used to L5R into the system and the stereotypes. But I want to mess with it. A lot.
See, I figure that something important has happened in the Empire. The new Hantei has announced that Hantei I came to him in a dream, and told him to seek a wife outside the Crane clan. This throws EVERYTHING into chaos, as you can imagine... the Crane have taken a heavy blow, and pretty much every other clan is now grooming potential future Empresses. I'm also considering having the Emperor disappear from Otosan Uichi and wind up on the border, a nameless samurai fighting the goblins during the 20 Goblin Winter... in a perfect place for the PCs to stumble on him, not knowing who he is.
What I would like from y'all is help with character concepts (either that I can put into pre-gens or use as background characters) and additional complications I can throw into this.
Some ones I've already played with:
3 Cranes. One a young woman, who was kicked out of the Crane clan for a made-up offense, when the 20 Goblin winter was announced, in the hopes that she would become Crab, thus allowing the Crane to throw their weight behind her (since she wouldn't technically be a Crane anymore). With her are one or two other Cranes... her father (or other elder relative) who followed her into exile. He is complicit in her being "dishonored", and is hoping to make sure she gets the 20 heads necessary to be a Crab. The other is her admirer, who followed her into exile because he could not leave her side. Wonderful, tragic, Crane story.
A Yasuki, maybe former Crab, maybe former Crane, who was too cowardly for seppuku (the fault was his own; he'd be a ronin for reasons other than the assassination), but now is desperate to get back into a clan.
A Gaijin, washed up on Rokugani shores a few years ago. His pronunciation is barbaric, his ways are strange and foreign, and no one decent will talk to this meat-eating, fork-using swine. But he can use a sword, and so he wants to be Crab.
An eta, perhaps some trade like butcher or whatever, who wishes to raise himself above his station.
Any ideas, either character or story, would be welcome.The Cranky Gamer
*It isn't realism, it's verisimilitude; the appearance of truth within the framework of the game.
*Picard management tip: Debate honestly. The goal is to arrive at the truth, not at your preconception.
*Mutant Dawn for Savage Worlds!
*The One Deck Engine: Gaming on a budget
Written by Me on DriveThru RPG
There are almost 400,000 threads on this site. If you need me to address a thread as a moderator, include a link.
-
2011-02-21, 10:37 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Sep 2009
- Location
- In a box of dice
- Gender
Re: [L5R] To Be A Wave: A Tale of a Twenty Goblin Winter
If the Emperor has decided he doesn't want to marry a Doji girl, there's probably someone whispering in his ear to make the Cranes look bad. After all, arranged marriage is the norm, even for Emperors. So how about a classic NPC.
The Emperor has a Scorpion 'drinking buddy' who is that guy you can tell anything to in absolute confidence. He knows all the best geisha houses and has introduced the young Emperor to the girl of his dreams. The one the Hantei knows he can't marry, but he loves anyway. And meanwhile, this Scorpion is putting good words in with the Enperor, suggesting people for sensitive and important positions in the court. And by people, I mean Scorpions.
For a PC idea, it's worth mining great movies. And in particular, characters played by Toshiro Mifune.
That gives us a few to work with.
First, the angry ronin warrior. Or that's what he tells everyone he is. Really, he's a farmer who ganked a samurai and took the swords up for himself. He could have had a good reason to stick a shiv in this samurai, butinside he's just terrified that people will find out he's a fraud. And he knows what the punishments are like for people who get caught pretending to be samurai.
Second, the wandering duellist. He doesn't talk about his past, even going as far as to name himself after his age and a nearby field full of crops. But he has a cunning political mind, is skilled with a sword and comes across as a natural leader.
Third is the general in exile. He was on his way to being a great leader of men. Fine strategic mind, a skilled warrior and able to inspire those under his command to go beyond what they thought they were capable of. The problem being, he was on the wrong side of a minor war. His daimyo was executed and the General found himself a ronin, cast on the waves to make do as best he could.
-
2011-02-22, 02:06 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2006
Re: [L5R] To Be A Wave: A Tale of a Twenty Goblin Winter
You should probably have a shugenja of some sort so that the players can become a little more familiar with the magic system. (I'd also recommend going easy on the Taint accumulation rules for playing in the shadowlands for a bunch of first timers)
-
2011-02-22, 06:06 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jun 2007
- Location
- The DownUnderdark!
- Gender
Re: [L5R] To Be A Wave: A Tale of a Twenty Goblin Winter
Ehh a couple of the old clasics that come to mind right of the bat are;
A shamed Phoenix Yojumbo that found out that the Shugenja under his gaurd was a Maho Tsukai and he unknowingly aided him in .... something ....and learn't the truth only after the Shugenja's escape. The Yojumbo went Ronin and has tracked the Maho-Tsukai south into the lands of the Crab.
Maybe a Mantis from a prominet sailing faimily who suffers from really bad sea sickness.
Or a an impatient Dragon who doubted the wisdom of his clan and headed out of the mountains to try and carve his own future rather then meditating on what was to come.
er... apart from that you could do the old honest Scorpion shtick or the cowardly lion trying to prove he is brave by facing down the worst of what the shadowlands has to offer.Last edited by Kaun; 2011-02-22 at 06:07 AM.
Aside from "have fun", i think the key to GMing is putting your players into situations where they need to make a choice that has no perfect outcome available. They will hate you for it, but they will be back at the table session after session.
-
2011-02-22, 12:19 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2007
- Location
- San Antonio, Texas
- Gender
Re: [L5R] To Be A Wave: A Tale of a Twenty Goblin Winter
You know, I honestly hadn't considered the possibility that it was anything other than a dream of Hantei I. I'll have to play with that, look more at the motivations of other clans and courtiers.
The Emperor has a Scorpion 'drinking buddy' who is that guy you can tell anything to in absolute confidence.
First, the angry ronin warrior. Or that's what he tells everyone he is. Really, he's a farmer who ganked a samurai and took the swords up for himself. He could have had a good reason to stick a shiv in this samurai, butinside he's just terrified that people will find out he's a fraud. And he knows what the punishments are like for people who get caught pretending to be samurai.
Third is the general in exile. He was on his way to being a great leader of men. Fine strategic mind, a skilled warrior and able to inspire those under his command to go beyond what they thought they were capable of. The problem being, he was on the wrong side of a minor war. His daimyo was executed and the General found himself a ronin, cast on the waves to make do as best he could.
Definitely. However, I'm a lot less clear on Shugenja becoming ronin. While they're samurai, I guess I have them mentally playing by different rules than bushi and courtiers.
Oooh, I like this one!
Maybe a Mantis from a prominet sailing faimily who suffers from really bad sea sickness.The Cranky Gamer
*It isn't realism, it's verisimilitude; the appearance of truth within the framework of the game.
*Picard management tip: Debate honestly. The goal is to arrive at the truth, not at your preconception.
*Mutant Dawn for Savage Worlds!
*The One Deck Engine: Gaming on a budget
Written by Me on DriveThru RPG
There are almost 400,000 threads on this site. If you need me to address a thread as a moderator, include a link.
-
2011-02-22, 12:34 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Sep 2009
- Location
- In a box of dice
- Gender
Re: [L5R] To Be A Wave: A Tale of a Twenty Goblin Winter
That was based on Kikuchiyo, Toshiro Mifune's character in Seven Samurai. Also, Toku from the L5R canon was based on the same character.
The General doesn't have to literally be a general. All he eeds is to have been some kind of officer, even a Gunso (sergeant) for the core idea to work. And this was Toshiro Mifune in Hidden Fortress, for those who didn't catch the reference.
The duellist idea was Mifune's character in Yojimbo and Sanjuro. Where he literally gives his name as Kuwabatake Sanjuro, meaning "Mulberry Field thirty-year-old.
If you're going for pregen characters, you could do worse than using the archetypes from Seven Samurai.Last edited by The Big Dice; 2011-02-22 at 12:39 PM.
-
2011-02-22, 01:18 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2004
- Location
- I wish I knew...
- Gender
Re: [L5R] To Be A Wave: A Tale of a Twenty Goblin Winter
A variant on the Phoenix Yojumbo...
He figured out his partner was Maho Tsukai and slew him on the spot to prevent the further spread of corruption. But no one believed him, and they were convinced that he was simply making excuses for his failure to protect his charge.
Then toss in something like a bit of Taint, giving him nightmares about the situation, his best and dearest friend asking him soulfully why he could do such a thing, and offering a way to clear things up once and for all...
Or even without the taint, you still have a tragic figure... he's kicked out for doing his job, which was basically slaying his best and closest friend, which he's still feeling guilty over, and trying to prove to himself that he is still an honorable individual.Last edited by ShneekeyTheLost; 2011-02-22 at 01:20 PM.
SpoilerQuite possibly, the best rebuttal I have ever witnessed.
Joker Bard - the DM's solution to the Batman Wizard.
Takahashi no Onisan - The scariest Samurai alive
Incarnum and YOU: a reference guide
Soulmelds, by class and slot: Another Incarnum reference
Multiclassing for Newbies: A reference guide for the rest of us
My homebrew world in progress: Falcora
-
2011-02-22, 04:04 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2006
Re: [L5R] To Be A Wave: A Tale of a Twenty Goblin Winter
Ronin Shugenja exist in a very strange spot in Rokugan. On one hand, they're blessed with the ability to speak with the Kami, They're priests just like any clan shugenja. They garner at least a modicum of respect for that. On the other hand, They're still clanless, and can expect just about the same welcome as a ronin bushi can. In fact they sometimes see worse treatment, because they're not only an aberration of the celestial order for being ronin. Other shugenja among the clans often see the existance of ronin shugenja as an open insult to the celestial order and the kami.
They are watched very carefully by everyone. Also, ronin shugenja are often suspected of having dealings with maho and other forbidden magics (another reason they're seen as an insult to the celestial order)" because how else could they have the power to coerce the kami into doing their bidding, it's not like the kami would ever willingly stoop to help an honorless ronin dog."
-
2011-02-22, 04:14 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jun 2007
- Location
- The DownUnderdark!
- Gender
Re: [L5R] To Be A Wave: A Tale of a Twenty Goblin Winter
Yeah its something about pirate samurais that rubs a lot of people the wrong way.
Some other options could be;
An eta beggar child raised by a hermit Samurai and taught the ways of bushido, after the death of his sensei he heads out into the world only to hear of the 20 goblin winter and finaly a chance to prove ....blah blah...
Or if a rogue Kolat sleeper, they were triggered improperly and early for some reason and once they learned some of what they were changed their name and fled south from Otosan Uichi in the hope of evading the attentions of his shadow masters.
Anyway,
Let me know if you want more.Aside from "have fun", i think the key to GMing is putting your players into situations where they need to make a choice that has no perfect outcome available. They will hate you for it, but they will be back at the table session after session.
-
2011-02-22, 07:14 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Sep 2009
- Location
- In a box of dice
- Gender
Re: [L5R] To Be A Wave: A Tale of a Twenty Goblin Winter
More variants on the yojimbo theme:
The Yojimbo that Failed. For whatever reason, this yojimbo survived whenhis charge died under his protection. Rather than poke his belly while kneeling on a white mat, he went into exile as a ronin, hoping to redeem himself.
The Yojimbo that Succeeded. This poor samurai didn't realise that sometimes you win by losing. He got into a duel to defend the honour of hischarge and won. Unfortunately, that duel was against the son of an important courtier. The yojimbo's reputation was ruined and he had no choice but to take to the roads as a ronin, hoping he never gets recognised.
I hate the Mantis because they aren't the underdog clan anymore. Instead, they are the Borg. They go round assimilating minor clans. Wasp, Centipede, Fox, when will it end?
They also don't have a portfolio that makes sense and they aren't descended from a Kami.
Anyway,another couple of character ideas:
The Coward. When it came time to stand up and be counted, this guy ran for the hills. It might have been a duel, or the night before a battle. All that really matters is, the guy knew he was going to have to put his life on the line. But instead of remembering that for there hero, there is no death, he found out that for the coward there is no life. He hates himself and sees a 20 Goblin Winter as a chance to make the right choice.
The Fake Ronin. This guy isn't a ronin at all. He's probably a Scorpion, but he could be a kolat agent, a Harrier or a Spymaster in a deep cover role. All that matters is that he keeps the appearance of being a masterless wave man at all costs. Not forgetting to report to his handler from time to time.
-
2011-02-22, 07:21 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jun 2007
- Location
- The DownUnderdark!
- Gender
Re: [L5R] To Be A Wave: A Tale of a Twenty Goblin Winter
Aside from "have fun", i think the key to GMing is putting your players into situations where they need to make a choice that has no perfect outcome available. They will hate you for it, but they will be back at the table session after session.
-
2011-02-22, 10:34 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jun 2007
Re: [L5R] To Be A Wave: A Tale of a Twenty Goblin Winter
Maybe a high ranking Crane who discovers that the Emperor is masquerading as a nameless samurai. He figures that if the emperor suffers an "accident", then his heir will still be Crane, and so will the new Empress.
Perhaps have the PCs trapped in a mountain pass due to a winter storm. While there, they take refuge in a small hunting community. As they fight off the cold and starvation, and maybe bandits, they learn some shocking secret about their saviors...
They learn that one of the NPC ronin competing to become a Crab has planned a trap to kill a large number of goblins... using the population of a small village as bait.
-
2011-03-17, 04:10 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2006
Re: [L5R] To Be A Wave: A Tale of a Twenty Goblin Winter
Remember, Rokugan has an extremely rigid caste system, and the samurai tend to take a dim view on people that try to become upwardly mobile. The eta could try to pass himself off as a samurai, especially if he was a servant to a samurai - probably a Kitsuki, since they often investigate murders and need someone to move the body around. How he got his master's swords is a question that needs to be answered - most likely, his master's dead, and he's masquerading as a ronin. The problem is if anyone finds out he's not a samurai, he's as good as dead. Most samurai will simply execute him and send his unclean soul to Emma-O for judgment. A Scorpion might not, and use this tasty bit of blackmail to make him dance to whatever tune he chooses - in which case, the eta probably wishes a Lion found out.
Done well, this could be an awesome character.
-
2011-03-17, 04:14 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2008
Re: [L5R] To Be A Wave: A Tale of a Twenty Goblin Winter
I use black for sarcasm.
Call me Rose, or The Rose Dragon. Rose Dragon is someone else entirely.
If you need me for something, please PM me about it. I am having difficulty keeping track of all my obligations.
-
2011-03-17, 04:45 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Sep 2009
- Location
- In a box of dice
- Gender
-
2011-03-17, 08:01 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2005
-
2011-03-18, 11:44 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2007
- Location
- San Antonio, Texas
- Gender
Re: [L5R] To Be A Wave: A Tale of a Twenty Goblin Winter
The Cranky Gamer
*It isn't realism, it's verisimilitude; the appearance of truth within the framework of the game.
*Picard management tip: Debate honestly. The goal is to arrive at the truth, not at your preconception.
*Mutant Dawn for Savage Worlds!
*The One Deck Engine: Gaming on a budget
Written by Me on DriveThru RPG
There are almost 400,000 threads on this site. If you need me to address a thread as a moderator, include a link.
-
2011-03-18, 12:48 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Oct 2008
- Gender
Re: [L5R] To Be A Wave: A Tale of a Twenty Goblin Winter
Last edited by Doc Roc; 2011-03-18 at 12:49 PM.
Lagren: I took Livers Need Not Apply, only reflavoured.
DocRoc: to?
Lagren: So whenever Harry wisecracks, he regains HP.
-
2011-03-18, 03:58 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2007
- Location
- San Antonio, Texas
- Gender
Re: [L5R] To Be A Wave: A Tale of a Twenty Goblin Winter
I'll try. The folks who love L5R just got the new edition,s o I'll have to look at it before I get started.
The Cranky Gamer
*It isn't realism, it's verisimilitude; the appearance of truth within the framework of the game.
*Picard management tip: Debate honestly. The goal is to arrive at the truth, not at your preconception.
*Mutant Dawn for Savage Worlds!
*The One Deck Engine: Gaming on a budget
Written by Me on DriveThru RPG
There are almost 400,000 threads on this site. If you need me to address a thread as a moderator, include a link.
-
2011-03-18, 04:00 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Oct 2008
- Gender
Re: [L5R] To Be A Wave: A Tale of a Twenty Goblin Winter
Lagren: I took Livers Need Not Apply, only reflavoured.
DocRoc: to?
Lagren: So whenever Harry wisecracks, he regains HP.
-
2011-03-18, 04:05 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2008
Re: [L5R] To Be A Wave: A Tale of a Twenty Goblin Winter
I use black for sarcasm.
Call me Rose, or The Rose Dragon. Rose Dragon is someone else entirely.
If you need me for something, please PM me about it. I am having difficulty keeping track of all my obligations.
-
2011-03-18, 05:06 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2007
- Location
- San Antonio, Texas
- Gender
Re: [L5R] To Be A Wave: A Tale of a Twenty Goblin Winter
The Cranky Gamer
*It isn't realism, it's verisimilitude; the appearance of truth within the framework of the game.
*Picard management tip: Debate honestly. The goal is to arrive at the truth, not at your preconception.
*Mutant Dawn for Savage Worlds!
*The One Deck Engine: Gaming on a budget
Written by Me on DriveThru RPG
There are almost 400,000 threads on this site. If you need me to address a thread as a moderator, include a link.
-
2011-03-18, 05:42 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Oct 2008
- Gender
Re: [L5R] To Be A Wave: A Tale of a Twenty Goblin Winter
Lagren: I took Livers Need Not Apply, only reflavoured.
DocRoc: to?
Lagren: So whenever Harry wisecracks, he regains HP.