|
Post by ericfromnj on Dec 21, 2016 18:05:32 GMT -8
OK. Let's say I had Lion, Scorpion, and Unicorn areas to populate. What I can add to these areas to give it some flair?
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 22, 2016 1:11:57 GMT -8
OK. Let's say I had Lion, Scorpion, and Unicorn areas to populate. What I can add to these areas to give it some flair? Are you talking about whole lands, quarters of a city, individual establishments? While each of the clans has their own flair, you can add many of the same types of places to each to showcase the difference between them. A sake house in each type of land would surely be different. Your Lion sake house could run the gamut from rough and tumble to half game house (the Lion like their strategy games). Scorpion sake houses could house more exotic liquors or simply be full of sympathetic ears to listen to every rumor. A Unicorn sake house might serve some kind of mares milk abomination out of a yurt. If I may suggest a book, you might try The Great Clans. It has more information about each clan, and might spark off some ideas. I'd try to spotlight the physical differences in the lands themselves (grassy plains for grazing, fields of poppy grown in mountain valleys, or locations of historic battles). Each land is usually distinct in some way. Then look to the culture of that clan. Most villages probably have the same kinds of shops, but you'll find variances in the items for sale or the atmosphere, etc. If you have any more specific information, I might be able to in kind provide more specifics back to you.
|
|
|
Post by ericfromnj on Dec 22, 2016 4:43:02 GMT -8
City environment. It is run by an imperial governor but has significant sectors of those three clans. I am using Emerald Empire for inspiration at this point though I have considered The Great Clans book. I know it is not completely canon but like Stu to be more comfortable with the setting I have made a location up.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 22, 2016 5:45:42 GMT -8
City environment. It is run by an imperial governor but has significant sectors of those three clans. I am using Emerald Empire for inspiration at this point though I have considered The Great Clans book. I know it is not completely canon but like Stu to be more comfortable with the setting I have made a location up. They assume you are going to do this. That is partially why the map isn't filled out everywhere. It's your rokugan, do what you want with it. They've even made a similar city in a supplement, which isn't set on the map, so you can drop it in where ever you want it. Cities aren't really a think Unicorn are all too comfortable with. Their culture is used to being nomadic. They are horse people. Anything unicorn has to incorporate their horses to some degree. If not they are likely to be a kind of fish out water. Their diplomats may do well, but the rank and file are probably chafing under city conditions. It might be considered a shitty/punishment posting to the rank and file. The scorpion probably have the red light district and other forms of entertainment. Theatre is important for them (its a cover for one of their traveling ninja schools), as are geisha. Organized crime is probably active (and under scorpion control). The scorpion are the only legal growers and purveyor of poppy, so opium dens are likely. The Lion are the most populous clan. They are also militant and regimented. While each clan has a barracks, the Lion's is probably huge by comparison. Lion's are also strongly into tradition and storytelling (through their bard school). They don't care for the Tao at all. Each dojo has a copy that they never open. It's all about Akodo's Leadership. They prefer shogi (Chinese chess) to Go, which the rest of the empire likes more.
|
|
|
Post by The Northman on Dec 22, 2016 19:13:00 GMT -8
There's also the option of not dividing things up into quite so regimented of districts, if the city grew more organically. That introduces the idea of the commoners loyal to each clan coming into conflicts which the samurai might have to mitigate. The Lion-vassal scribe and the Scorpion-loyal tea house next door to one another bickering in the alleyways.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 22, 2016 23:01:35 GMT -8
There's also the option of not dividing things up into quite so regimented of districts, if the city grew more organically. That introduces the idea of the commoners loyal to each clan coming into conflicts which the samurai might have to mitigate. The Lion-vassal scribe and the Scorpion-loyal tea house next door to one another bickering in the alleyways. I don't think peasants are going to start acting like soccer hooligans with clans instead of teams. Samurai are dangerous people to be involved with for your average peasant. If peasants started causing problems for their samurai, they would be dealt with brutally. If anything, peasants in cities are more likely to be loyal to the yakuza. Imagine, if you will, that you live in a world were bullies walk around with assault rifles and can get away with shooting anyone who isn't also carrying. You have no opportunity to get a rifle yourself. The best thing you can do is be invisible or appease those who hold your life in their hands. Samurai as supposed to be benevolent, but that makes them no less of a class of dictators.
|
|
|
Post by The Northman on Dec 22, 2016 23:05:47 GMT -8
I don't think we're talking about quite the same thing. These are people who're making money for their respective lords, who are likely to come into all sorts of conflicts with people around them motivated by different loyalties. And to some extent, many may have been levied as ashigaru at some point in their lives, so those loyalties can run deep. You're still dealing with a society that requires 'police' of a sort, and petitions over civil matters.
It was just a suggestion for a different sort of potential conflict, depending on the flavor of your game, particularly if any less martially-inclined characters are part of your party.
|
|
|
Post by ericfromnj on Dec 23, 2016 5:37:08 GMT -8
I am letting them make up what they wish knowing they are deputies of an Emerald Magistrate to start out (until I kill off the Emerald Magistrate, promote them, and set them loose on he city once they get their bearings).
While I have run a one shot and read through the books I have repeatedly in bits here and there none of my players have any experience with the system. Session zero will talk about Emerald Magistrates, the tenets of Bushido, and the world at large (religions,castes,etc).
Due to their inexperience Northman I plan on keeping the district separate so that they can see how the different clans handle the same logistics. There will be some mixing in the Imperial section of town (which includes the docks they are on a river).
This way too the PCs can learn about how clans prefer to deal with internal matters while things that cross district lines so to speak are their purview.
I plan to keep things as simple as possible for them at first because they are so new to the system.
|
|
|
Post by Stu Venable on Dec 23, 2016 7:49:29 GMT -8
I like the idea of having similar establishments in each sector, and using their distinct environments to show and contrast the differences between the clans. Perhaps through the course of the first few sessions, the party visits different different sake houses. The Lion one seems very formal, subdued, perhaps drunken foolishness is not tolerated very much. A Scorpion one might provide the ability to indulge in various vices, Scorpion patrons might seem very boisterous until the outsiders walk in, then conversations become quiet and the party gets the feeling they're being watched, etc. (can't help you on Unicorn, since I never incorporated them in my games, I haven't read much about them)
But really, they're going to get a bigger impression when they meet individual NPCs. Though I think it's important to remember that each NPC is a person as well. Yes, Scorpions are generally the conniving, treacherous villains, but having one who's just a genuinely nice guy (or gal) will throw the party for a loop and humanize the NPC a bit.
|
|
sbloyd
Supporter
WHAT! A human in a Precursor service vehicle?!
Posts: 2,762
Preferred Game Systems: Storyteller; Dresden; Mage
Favorite Species of Monkey: Goddamnit, Curious George is a CHIMP not a monkey! Stop teaching my daughter improper classification!
|
Post by sbloyd on Dec 23, 2016 8:54:26 GMT -8
Nikoma in a Scorpion mask.
|
|
|
Post by ayslyn on Dec 23, 2016 11:06:07 GMT -8
Unicorn style themselves as the clan of the people. I suspect that their sake house might be very blue collar and Everyman.
|
|
|
Post by yojimbohawkins on Dec 23, 2016 12:46:44 GMT -8
If you're going with a city, Ryoko Owari might be a good shout. The L5R wiki will give you more info, but basically, it's a Scorpion city of 'entertainment' that's changed hands many times; in particular the Unicorn have been it's rulers a couple of times in its' history.
Alternatively, the Lion, Scorpion and Unicorn all share borders. You could put a disputed territory at the junction of the three borders, or maybe a city overseen by an Imperial family, a place for the three clans to conduct 'diplomacy'. I suppose a Rokugani version of Cold-War-era Berlin?
|
|
|
Post by ayslyn on Dec 23, 2016 13:00:47 GMT -8
Alternatively, the Lion, Scorpion and Unicorn all share borders. You could put a disputed territory at the junction of the three borders, or maybe a city overseen by an Imperial family, a place for the three clans to conduct 'diplomacy'. I suppose a Rokugani version of Cold-War-era Berlin? There is so much awesome in this suggestion....
|
|
sbloyd
Supporter
WHAT! A human in a Precursor service vehicle?!
Posts: 2,762
Preferred Game Systems: Storyteller; Dresden; Mage
Favorite Species of Monkey: Goddamnit, Curious George is a CHIMP not a monkey! Stop teaching my daughter improper classification!
|
Post by sbloyd on Dec 23, 2016 13:03:07 GMT -8
Mirotso-Berlin-toshi?
|
|
|
Post by ericfromnj on Dec 23, 2016 14:14:08 GMT -8
If you're going with a city, Ryoko Owari might be a good shout. The L5R wiki will give you more info, but basically, it's a Scorpion city of 'entertainment' that's changed hands many times; in particular the Unicorn have been it's rulers a couple of times in its' history. Alternatively, the Lion, Scorpion and Unicorn all share borders. You could put a disputed territory at the junction of the three borders, or maybe a city overseen by an Imperial family, a place for the three clans to conduct 'diplomacy'. I suppose a Rokugani version of Cold-War-era Berlin? The city in question I am creating is at about the juncture of the three disputed borders. It is run by an Imperial Governor. It is near the mountains so I keep having images of an illegal mine using zombies hidden out there. I do plan for a Bloodspeaker network of cells in the area. And a smuggling operation that doesn't know who it is dealing with. The Emerald Magistrate the PCs work for will be a very old scorpion. When they get their sea legs down with the system and the world I plan on him dying so the PCs can then pursue things at their discretion.
|
|