Quote from: zend0g;755272The problem with many... most... okay, maybe all Japanese themed RPGs is that fap way too much over the Tokugawa period and Bushido: The Soul of Japan. The first has to be the most depressing time to a samurai and the second is a romantic's revisionist ideas on what the samurai where like. Dial back to the 8th to 12th century time frame. For the more weird fantasy, earlier is better and for those that like political intrigue, later is better. If you want to be lesser nobles rather than samurai exploring the wild wilderness of Japan that is even more crazy than 8th century, then the 5th to 6th century is good.

Good assessment. The problem is that the Tokugawa age offers the most recognizable aesthetics; lacquered wooden masks, katanas and wakizashis, warring daimyo, ass-kicking sohei and yamabushi... and of course a slew of classic jidaigeki movies for inspiration.

Which is why my solution would be a frankly fantastic realm with C12 politics (pre-Genpei Wars) and C16 technology and aesthetics. I might even throw in a Chinese-inspired "fallen empire" to litter the land with dungeonesque ruins.

Quote from: zend0g;755272Pfft. You can do Japan accurately with RPGs out there right now. You don't need special rules.

Its not the rules that are the problem; its historical/mythological authenticity.  Sure, anyone doing serious research could do japan accurately right now, but the point is having products out there that do the research for the average GM.

Quote from: RPGPundit;755763Its not the rules that are the problem; its historical/mythological authenticity.  Sure, anyone doing serious research could do japan accurately right now, but the point is having products out there that do the research for the average GM.

I agree, but also I can appreciate how hard that can be.

Its not just translation of customs into game stats - like various attempts at point valuing "honor" - that never seem quite right. It is also the mind set which in certain eras of Japanese history aren't very conducive to the typical dungeon party sort adventure. That doesn't really fit well with the Edo era, for example, but works better in other eras.

Speaking of which, I thought a game based around a Mito Komon type story line would be good for Edo era. In a nutshell, he is the very powerful old uncle of the Shogun who travels around in disguise with his retainers, uncovering injustices, and then passing judgement.

Here's a sort of funny historical reference clip on Youtube from an episode. Funny because a Shogun who was born during the Year of the Dog made it a law to show respect to dogs, and made it a capital offense to kill a dog.

And the groovy theme song to the show...

For the record, I'd be interested in something like this, especially if it wasn't Tokugawa era, which is neat and all, but kinda played out. Heian period maybe? Heian is cool.

Quote from: Lynn;755804It is also the mind set which in certain eras of Japanese history aren't very conducive to the typical dungeon party sort adventure. That doesn't really fit well with the Edo era, for example, but works better in other eras.

When we played OA it was about 99% wilderness adventures, castles, towers, and intrigue. We explored all of one dungeon and that was a cave system inhabited by some creatures.

Though if Id have seen Legend of 8 Samurai/Hakkenden back then I'd have likely rethought the validity of dungeoncrawling in an OA setting as the final confrontation is essentially a dungeon crawl.

Quote from: languagegeek;752216Bushido is my #1 game of choice for the genre. In D&D specifically, I recall using the characters from Dragon articles when I wanted a ninja or something to make an appearance .

Bushido is my undisputed champion in the field. Love it. Love that it's still available at '80s prices from FGU as well.

Quote from: Iosue;752221This one.  Really, I think they should go back to this style for the new edition.

As much as I bitch about manga-style art in RPGs, that art has a lot of charm.