OOC Discussion

[jemmus]

Check in-- Still setting up. Things the intel-driven members of the Kumo ninja clan would know. I think these things will be important for the players' and PCs' decision-making going forward. By it's nature as a ninja game, this will a game of finding out, knowing, and cunning planning. Not brawn and brawling. That's for dumb katana-swiping bushi.

[jemmus]

A post for the ninja game is up in the games announcements thread. About how many PCs do you thing would be good? Considering that this is a stealth game, and a big party of ninja might not make much sense.

Four at most maybe? More? Fewer?

[ffilz]

A post for the ninja game is up in the games announcements thread. About how many PCs do you thing would be good? Considering that this is a stealth game, and a big party of ninja might not make much sense.

Four at most maybe? More? Fewer?

4 would be good.

[jemmus]

We've got one player coming, I'll invite another.

[Marullus]

I agree: 3-4 total players/characters would be ideal.

[jemmus]

Cool. Looks like we'll have 2 more, so 4 total. I'm working on a post with an overview of how Bushido works. To the best of my knowledge....

[jemmus]

Welcome, (in alphabetical order), Grognardsw and Rex! And welcome back, friends ffilz and Marullus. We're set to begin the team's first mission. But first, some set up is needed.
-GM will post a summary of Bushido's crunchy but highly elegant and well-coordinated rules system.
-Character Creation/Chargen. (Marullus can you share your sheet and ffilz can you help us out with advise here?)
-I'd recommend that everyone review the Ninja and the Kumo Clan thread for for valuable strategic and tactical info. These things may save your lives. And influence the success and your survivability while on missions. The maps might mean the most, to a ninja agent. https://www.unseenservant.us/forum/view ... 82#p649682
-This mission for the new ninja school graduates will likely be titled 1st Scroll -"The Master's Tea Bowl." Your sensei will explain along the way...

[Grognardsw]

忍者に入る

[Marullus]

I will update a "Ninja Version" of the sheet and share it in a bit.

As you look at your attributes, check this post for logic:
https://www.unseenservant.us/forum/view ... 81#p583481
...and look at the minimum Strength scores of the weapons you want to wield.

Check this out about how speed attribute sets movement rate, which determines your agility options in combat:
https://www.unseenservant.us/forum/view ... 28#p601928

[Rex]

Thanks for having me.

[Marullus]

Glad to have you in the Ninja Bushido game!

I would also like to invite you to our other game as well. That one is a more traditional "adventure module." Jemmus and I are running them in tandem with one set of shared house rules and learning process. (I picked up running the second game mostly so Jemmus wasn't forever DM and could also play. ) Bushido is fun and crunchy, and we figure if you learn the system we might as well use it twice.

Post rate is slow and very forgiving. You can read the adventure so far.

While Jemmus' game is reformatting to try Ninja only, the other game is more "ronin adventuring against the Oni in the mountains" like a more traditional RPG. They just finished a political arc and want to go back to adventure. It also will be a little higher level - they are second level and you will join as they take a month downtime for advancement (which you also will get).

They currently have a cleric (gakusho) paladin (sohei bushi) who currently needs to stone for murder, and a Ninja. They party can use other classes (and you can try out non-ninja):
- Samurai/Ronin (fighters, particularly with katana and bow)
- Bodoka (martial artists, not historical but more fun Kung fu movie)
- Yakuza (thug/criminal/thieves)
- Shugenja (wizards/sorcerers)

I am glad to work with you and help you learn.

[Rex]

Would a female Ronin work?

[Marullus]

Yep! Sounds great.

As a female, you add bonus skill bugei of Naginatajutsu, Tantojutsu, and Shurikenjutsu.

In general, it may be stated that a woman in Nippon travelling
freely about the countryside as a wandering member of a Profession
has to some extent severed her connection with her family. This may
imply that she has moved into a Profession where such a division is
normal, as in the case of the female Gakusho. Or she may have no
living family. Without Clan protection, her prospects are grim. She
may be a young widow. In this case, women remained with their
husband's Clan, but were regarded as the poorest of poor relations.
A women might seek freedom by pursuing life as a wanderer rather
than accept the grudging charity of her in-laws.
The proudest tradition of the Buke is their military training.
Women in this Caste are not denied this birthright. The traditional
weapons of the female Buke are the Naginata (glaive), the Tanto
(dagger), the Yari (spear), and the Uchi-ne (light javelin).
Shurikenjutsu, using the Tanto or Aiguchi, was also taught to most
women of the military aristocracy. Training in Kenjutsu was not
uncommon and many women in the Caste sought mastery of more
esoteric weapon forms.
Based on legends and historical incidents in the saga of Nippon,
many women, their male relatives dead or captured, proved their
expertise in the Bugei of strategy (Chikujo-kutsu and Senjo-jutsu) at
the head of the Clan's armies or within its fortresses. Study in these
Bugei would therefore be a logical choice for the female Buke,
especially one who functions as a Bushi.

[jemmus]

It sounds like GM is allowing picking caste (ronin). I guess you could also do it the traditional way and roll on the birth table. I've enjoyed that.

I just saw a video about naginata the other day. Women favored them because they were heavy. The weight of the weapon would do a powerful overhead strike for them.

[Marullus]

Normally you would roll 1d100 and look at the birth table on page 39.

I offered for Ffilz to pick Caste instead because he was uncomfortable rolling the highest category (in service to the Daimyo) and I don't mind if others want to pick a Caste to tell a particular story instead of rolling. Rex said he wanted a female ronin, and picking ronin is fine or rolling is fine. The story he wants to play is more important to me.

[Rex]

I am all for rolling.

Caste [1d100]=13

Member, is that high enough for a ronin?

[Marullus]

Okay, glad you're in. As we're getting into actively making the character, I'm moving this over to here.

Both of you have access to that game's forum as well as this one, if you choose to play.

[jemmus]

I am all for rolling.

Caste [1d100]=13

Member, is that high enough for a ronin?

That's a nice low roll. Middle rank Samurai. (p.39)

[Rex]

Just replied in the other thread. Going with the roll and taking the middle rank samurai.

[jemmus]

Today (April 18, 2023) is two years since this game's first IC post(!) https://www.unseenservant.us/forum/view ... 69#p542969. Hard to believe. To celebrate, all of you guys can pick one of these little presents:
-Increase an Attribute score by 1
-Make a ninjato +1
-Get 5 ninja gimmicks task points.

Revised list. A player advocated for you guys and overcame my stingy nature.
A +1 Ninjato sword
An inherited Megumi no O-Mamori ("Amulet of Blessing," +2 to a the Saving Throw for a certain attribute. Which attribute will be randomly determined. The player can move the bonus to an adjacent attribute. For example, from Wit to Health or Will.))
20 gimmick points
3 attribute points (Note that this is not enough for an extra point of BCS, 5 would be needed. But it's a head start toward getting that with experience).
Three doses of a level 2 poison and two of level 3 poison
One extra skill
A suit of silenced Ninja armor of your choice (note the weight, Strength, and encumbrance considerations)
-Partial 20 lbs, AC 4
-Standard 30 lbs, AC 6
-Complete 40 lbs, AC 7

The list was revised more than once after the initial posting. (One change is the Amulet is now +2, not +1). Please disregard any list you read before and use this one.