TRoS: Japan (samurais and ninjas), this would really make TRoS a popular game i think, until now i think that the systems used for these warriors don't function very well, its usual a high-magic world and level systems and such.

Generaly i just wanna say that i think that it would give so much to the TRoS marketing, and attact new players. ie. bigger sales.
and really define TRoS as maybe the ultimate Medieval style fighting system.

Why are everyone so bloody obsessed with ancient Japan these days?
The "European-like" setting is just as interesting, but to many people Japan has this rather bizarre air of mystery.

Feudal Japan was one of the most corrupt societies the world has ever seen, they had very high ideals, but practically no-one actually lived by these. Possibly the best example of this is the samurai: their moral code and ideals were extremely strict and noble on the paper, but in real life they were as corrupt as any other upper class with complete exeption from the law and the freedom to do exactly what they wanted to people of a lower rank.

Warrior Samurai were nothing but state endorced psycopaths who have been glorified through time and the modern movie and gaming industry.

Fleinhoy wrote: Warrior Samurai were nothing but state endorced psycopaths who have been glorified through time and the modern movie and gaming industry.

I think like alot of things it holds an air of mystery about it. I certainly don't hold Feudal Japan up on a pedestal but at the same time I don't despise it because some other people like it.

A Japanese supplement for TRoS may very well bring in new players, but so would ones about Dynastic China, Ancient Greece, Pre-Roman occupation Britian, etc...

As far as I know though there is a Feudal Japanese supplement for TRoS in the works.

The good thing about TRoS is that you can make it work in a lot of settings with a little work. If you want to do a feudal Japan game I suggest buying a copy of Sengoku from Gold Rush Games. It's a game set in 16th century Japan using the fuzion system but the rule book has so much historical detail it makes a great supplement for any Japan based game.

I think the "dueling" feel of TROS would translate well to a Feudal Japan styled game. Japan also made even more of the sword than western europe did, so it fits there as well, and Japan was probably one of the countries that used shields the least, also rendering itself well to TROS.

I think it would work great. On interesting idea would be to make Samurai as part of their SA's have some mandatory Code of Bushido as part of it. Maybe they always have to keep at least x in a few areas, and they don't adhere to very aspect of the code but at least a few mandatory ones or choices.

Starts me thinking of Bushido, an old RPG set in feudal Japan that was pretty good.

"On interesting idea would be to make Samurai as part of their SA's have some mandatory Code of Bushido as part of it."

I've considered doing that with both chivalry for knight type characters and bushido for samurai types, but it's too broad. It makes a good character philosophy, and aspects of it do well as SA's, but having a chivalry or bushido SA would be far too powerful, as either code covers all aspects of the warriors life and combat.

Why is there a craze for Japanese stuff?
Well, for one, what is foreign to us often seems exotic... I think that is a lot of the reason as to why ancient Japanese and other Asian cultures seem fascinating to modern Americans (no offense to non-Americans...I've only lived in certain parts of North and South America and can't speak for others). As I understand from friends who have lived in some of those "fascinating" Asian countries, Western culture is often to them portrayed as just as mystical as ninja are to us.
I agree that ancient Japan (just as any large society, modern or ancient) had a good deal of corruption to it, but is that not part of what would in theory make it an interesting TROS setting? As I understand it, TROS glorifies grittyness (is that a word?) not just in combat, but in people, and oftentimes the focus is on playing "realistic" characters, not goody-two-shoes heroes who always do the right thing (even though the latter is certainly possible).
Any setting, whether it's Japanese, Eastern European, or Native American, can be fun if it's done well.

"Let the saints be joyful in glory:
let them sing aloud upon their beds.
Let the high praises of God be in their mouth,
and a twoedged sword in their hand"

-Psalms 149: 5-6

If you noticed my post it says "warrior samurai", samurai was an entire social class and people there were as individual and diverse as in any other.

I readily admit that my post was rather extreme, but it was largely a vent for my annoyance at the modern entertainment industry's tendency to glorify feudal japan to a ridiculous extent.
It was no better or worse than similar periods in other parts of the world, so why should TRoS fall on the bandwagon and make a separate setting for it?
Apart from this it could indeed be an interesting setting to play, with intrigue and bloodshed aplenty, just read up on some decent historical sources and design the world yourself.
That's half the fun of GMing anyway, isn't it...

Fleinhoy wrote: I readily admit that my post was rather extreme, but it was largely a vent for my annoyance at the modern entertainment industry's tendency to glorify feudal japan to a ridiculous extent.

while not Sengoku Jidai based, Katanapunk addresses an era of Japan often overlooked in RPGs. Edo-era gritty city-based adventures is what we're looking at. Corruption, greed, murder, intrigue and down-and-dirty business is the mainstay of the game. Yakuza, Crazy Kabukimono Gangs, assassins, scruffy ronin and hungry sword saints. Not your grand-daddies samurai game!

The game is still alive and in playtesting as we speak, apologies to those we haven't gotten back to, Real-life has gotten in the way somewhat (Exam Resits :( )

cheers

Jason King
Madt3ch Games

Malechi wrote: while not Sengoku Jidai based, Katanapunk addresses an era of Japan often overlooked in RPGs. Edo-era gritty city-based adventures is what we're looking at. Corruption, greed, murder, intrigue and down-and-dirty business is the mainstay of the game. Yakuza, Crazy Kabukimono Gangs, assassins, scruffy ronin and hungry sword saints. Not your grand-daddies samurai game!