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Post by Stu Venable on Nov 17, 2013 13:44:24 GMT -8
We played the conclusion of our L5R game, Saga of the Inukai, last night.
The game has been posted to the actual play feed.
We're considering a Part 2 session that takes place one generation after the events of Session 14, where the players will play the next generation.
After we've done some prep, I'll put up some polls to see which player will play which descendant. We have decided that there is a firm rule and no player can play his or her own PC's descendant.
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sbloyd
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Post by sbloyd on Nov 17, 2013 16:18:00 GMT -8
Huh. I just spoiled myself. When I saw that it was the end of the Saga of the Inukai, the seed of doubt was planted. But if there's a second generation, I guess they live. Which is good. But doubt until the end is better.
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Post by joecrak on Nov 18, 2013 4:33:51 GMT -8
Not 10 minutes in and all I have to say is Jesus Christ Tyler rank 7 heavy weapons? Edit: part way through and I have many thoughts, comments, etc. But in regards tithe descendants I hope this means that the next story will feature multi clan characters, then you can all have some serious fun! It took me a long time to realize this but the main three: Stork, Tyler, and CADave where playing crabs disguised as crane the entire time. It explains their uncouth savage brutish ways. Second Edit: more thoughts contains some SPOILERSIt's kind of good that this was the end of their story, because, and while it may seem like we are picking on him, stork cadave and Tyler do some incredibly dishonorable things. As far as the descendent game might go, who ever is Storks, should probably take the Infamy disad due to his actions. Kimi is the only one that did nothing wrong the entire time. It was fun listening to but it was partly driving me crazy with how they all kept talking about honor demands, yet they were being less and less honorable. The first battle was entirely instigated by you guys, you saw you were being followed, by fellow samurai, from the same clan and Family, and charged with a weapon drawn. You instigated a fight, pure and simple. Then Stork, drawing his bow and firing at a Shugenja, twice, who had shown no signs of ill intent, or any sign of being a blood magic user. Because heres a thing that, you guys don't know, and that's fine. But Most bandits would never even attack a shugenja. Only those with utter contempt and no honor would dare to attack a shugenja. Because they are the rare and blessed few that are conduits to the Gods that the majority of all citizens of rokugan worship. Kami, that which Shugenja have the ability to communicate with, are gods of the world, and the creators of most of the Great clans. The crane family Doji, is named after the Kami Doji. The creator of the Crane clan. Shugenja are so respected and revered that even those in the midst of a war, are given the opportunity to surrender, it is afforded no such luxury, because the Shugenja are a blessing upon the world. Argh, I know im soundling like a raging nerboy fan, and I'm sorry for that, but to me, this is one of the reasons Stork's actions a lot of the time have me decrying for him to lose honor. All his jabs at Kimi's characters are tantamount to blasphemy in that society. And the main intent of the game is to have fun, and you guys clearly did, and I had a blast listening to you guys, i just like trying to get the information out there, not that it matters anymore really. Oh and another thing that sadly doesn't matter anymore, but could have changed things even more dramatically. cadave Your character, in a duel? That was his place to be from the sound of your character build. Sure you may have had more ranks in knjutsu. but during the focus phase you, if your void was 2, you should have been rolling 9k4+5, and you get to reroll 1's. If you won the assessment by 10, well, I'm sure you know. It was likely because too long between sessions, and never doing much combat, but your school ability is/was entirely around dueling, so I was going crazy feeling for you when you should have been rolling so much higher. And your school ability was always a situational thing, unlike Tyler's for example. That brings me to a question about a topic thats close to my own heart. How to you keep interest/awareness in a campaign when you haven't played for a month, or so? Like How can you work to keep some of the things fresh in minds, like the mechanics, or the story itself. Because as a listener, and as you all admit, because of the length of time between sessions, you forgot many of the mechanics and rules, that at one point were pretty well remembered. I also feel like Stu Venable told an amazing story, but in this session, the story was so much better, but I feel that you went kind of easy on the party. Like, it felt like nobody was ever in danger of being killed. The final reveal after the game ended, I had thought that about Renjiro. But what makes that even more impactful, in my mind is that, Junichiro was in the right. Homosexuality in Rokugan is not a crime, unless it interferes with one's duty. And not taking a wife to produce children because of love? That is the definition of shirking one's duty in that world. Part of the reason True Love is a disad in the game. But Bravo Stu, that bit was so awesome and totally elevated the entire campaign in my eyes. Because while the group didn't know it, they were supporting the man in the wrong, who was rightly deposed. Sorry bout some of that crazy ranting there, but I do love listening to you guys and your stuff, and L5R is one of my favorite settings/systems, clearly, and can't wait until the next campaign starts up.
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Post by henryhankovitch on Nov 18, 2013 20:13:17 GMT -8
Well, quite the ending. Looking forward to the next AP you guys do, whether it's a follow-up L5R game or something else.
The reveal about Renjiro definitely was a surprise to me. It's likely RPGs have conditioned me to this sort of thing, but I had kept thinking that the matter of the corrupted sword and the dishonored ancestor would be involved. It's actually refreshing to be reminded about how comparatively humble problems can blow up into epic conflicts.
Regarding Renjiro's unmarried status... speaking as someone with no intensive knowledge of Rokugan, it strikes me as something dishonorable--and not particularly bright--but not at all close to justifying Junichiro's actions. Yes, Renjiro was obligated to his clan to marry and have heirs. And since samurai marriages are going to be political and pragmatic pairings rather than love matches, I don't think anyone in Rokugani society would have viewed Renjiro's marriage as anything but filial obligation. Affection is for courtesans and concubines, not wives.
That being said, a daimyo lacking natural heirs hardly has an insurmountable problem. At any stage of his life Renjiro could simply have adopted someone as his heir--whether taking in some promising child to be raised in the family, or naming an adult relative his heir by adoption. If he had been infertile, that would have been natural solution. So deposing Renjiro was an overly drastic and public solution to a commonplace, private problem.
It would have been nice to have some sort of epilogue for the characters at the end of the session. Though I suppose we'll find out the eventual fates of the PCs if and when the successor game is played.
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Post by Stu Venable on Nov 18, 2013 21:44:53 GMT -8
Major spoilers here-- if you haven't listened to 14 yet, stop now.
I have recorded an epilogue about a few NPCs, including Renjiro. I'll release it in about a week. It's very short, maybe 5-10 minutes.
I have encouraged the players to write epilogues about their characters as well. They will determine who they married and what became of them. They stop there.
Then the player who is going to play each descendant will pick up the story there and we'll start with new NPCs.
The rule is that no player may play his or her own character's descendant.
I want to crowd source some decisions.
I'll post the first one now.
We'll also run polls to see who should play whose descendant.
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Post by joecrak on Nov 19, 2013 4:28:09 GMT -8
Yea thinking more on it Junichiro may have overreacted if that was his first decision. He should have at least said "keep your thing on the side but do your damn job get a wife and make a kid!"
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sbloyd
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Post by sbloyd on Nov 19, 2013 4:54:36 GMT -8
I thought the situation with Renjiro was pretty obvious, particularly after Master Higo was stomping around so angrily in Renjiro's garden. Good job, Stu.
Now, I don't know Rokugan from rutabagas, but couldn't Renjiro *adopt* an heir?
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Post by joecrak on Nov 19, 2013 5:55:38 GMT -8
He can, but blood holds more weight. A blood relative might likely start a war for the claim despite renjiro's wishes for an appointed heir.
After all they are no true hero, so right of ruler ship should pass to the next relative.
In the end Renjiro still has a boss that could just say: "yeah. No, we're giving the land to Lakota for all the bs you and your brother pulled, you work for them now."
Or the emerald or imperial families could arrange marriages and take over.
Many possibilities that could negate Renjiro's original wishes.
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Post by ayslyn on Nov 20, 2013 10:12:36 GMT -8
On the Taint:
There are a couple of REMARKABLY extreme means of removing it. There is a spell that can move it, but it's maho. There is the Lady Doji's tears which can cure someone of it. There were only a handful of them to begin with, and by the current storyline, I think they may all be gone...
And YES. It CAN corrupt the children. I don't think that Tyler's level would do that, though.
On Aiming: There is kinda a reason that there aren't aiming rules in the core book. Most Rokugani archers are about the volley. Western style, take your time and aim the shot, archery is only really practiced by the Unicorn (due to their time outside of Rokugan).
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fredrix
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Post by fredrix on Nov 20, 2013 11:21:26 GMT -8
Great campaign Stu and the gang. But Stu, you were too easy on them. As you say Junichiro was in the right (just about) and I think the characters should have found out about their Daimo's shirking of his duty.
Also, though you say Ranjiro's intervention in the duel was planned, it came across as a get out after Junichiro has just had a massive success in Focus, allowing you to reroll a more moderate success when the dual restarted. Given that his was in the right, the dice were properly siding with Junichiro.
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fredrix
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Post by fredrix on Nov 20, 2013 11:22:20 GMT -8
Great campaign Stu and the gang. But Stu, you were too easy on them. As you say Junichiro was in the right (just about) and I think the characters should have found out about their Daimo's shirking of his duty.
Also, though you say Ranjiro's intervention in the duel was planned, it came across as a get out after Junichiro has just had a massive success in Focus, allowing you to reroll a more moderate success when the dual restarted. Given that his was in the right, the dice were properly siding with Junichiro.
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SirGuido
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Post by SirGuido on Nov 21, 2013 11:06:28 GMT -8
I thought the entire thing was great, my only real critiques centered on not know your characters' techniques. I know the players didn't make these characters so I'm hoping that when you make the descendants you will be more familiar with the techniques and what each school does. There were many many times when techniques, particularly the technique of Nikoma, would have made a tremendous difference in the outcomes. In the end it was still awesome so I give major kudos for running a great game in such an intensely different system and setting than the norm.
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Post by malifer on Nov 21, 2013 12:52:41 GMT -8
I liked the AP 'cast. It was a great collaborative story.
But Tyler briefly mentioned something along the lines of "can't we just all fight, instead of sitting watching them duel"
I think it was a little bit of a joke, but it kind of stuck with me because it was the end of the session/campaign and it came down to one sidebar everyone was invited to watch.
I think it made sense in the "fiction", but as a game I would be hesitant to put that scenario in.
I was just curious if the duel had ended with the opposite outcome, weren't the available choices to the other PCs quite limited?
All right guys everyone get out your wakizashi or die dishonorably.
Why options do you think the players had?
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Post by joecrak on Nov 21, 2013 13:15:15 GMT -8
That's a problem one of my players has with the game/world. Duels become a solo thing others are not a part of. Yet I say he has no right to complain considering he plays an infiltrator.
Many courtier things are also sort of solo spotlights on a specific player.
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sbloyd
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Post by sbloyd on Nov 21, 2013 14:07:46 GMT -8
I recall once hearing about turning a duel situation into a collaboration with the entire party by bringing in their skills as applicable to preparation et al. In fact, I think it was on Happy Jack's that I heard it, though I'm still only on Season 5 on my trip through the backlog again.
So, say Musashi is about to fight a duel, the group might take him aside and give him a pep talk. "Watch his eyes," Nikoma might say. Roukai probably wouldn't say much, but grab him by the shoulders and straighten his slouch. Our young shugenja might say a (non magical) prayer for him. Come time for the duel itself, each of the other member of the Fab Four might be able to roll a test against their own traits to give Stork a slight bonus on certain rolls.
I think this hearkens back to how Tappy did ship combat in his Traveller game.
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