SENGOKUSENGOKUTM CHANBARA ROLEPLAYING IN FEUDAL JAPAN Revised Edition CREDITS Authors: Anthony J. Bryant and Mark Arsenault Michelle Knight, Charles Landauer, Bill Layman, Greg Lloyd, Fuzion Roleplaying Rules: David Ackerman-Gray, Bruce Paradise Long, Steve Long, Jonathan Luse, Kevin MacGregor, Harlick, Ray Greer, George MacDonald, Steve Peterson, Mike Shari MacGregor, Paul Mason, John Mehrholz, Edwin Pondsmith, Benjamin Wright Millheim, Mike Montesa, Dale Okada, Arcangel Ortiz, Jr., Sengoku-specific Rules: Mark Arsenault Ken Pryde, Mauro Reis, David Ross, Arzhange Safdarzadeh, Project Developer & Revisions: Mark Arsenault Rick Sagely, Janice Sellers, Matt Smith, Susan Stafford, Editorial Contributions: David Carroll, Dorian Davis, Paul Patrick Sweeney, Simon Taylor, Andy Vetromile, Marissa Mason, Andrew Martin, Sakai Naoko Way, Paul Wilcox, Chris Wolf. Cover Illustration: Jason A, Engle Additional Thanks: To Paul Hume, and to everyone on the Interior Illustrations: Paul Abrams, Mark Arsenault, Heather Sengoku mailing list for their suggestions and encouragement, Bruton, Nancy Champion, Storn Cook, Audrey Corman, Steve especially Dorian Davis, Anthony Jackson, Dave Mattingly, Goss, John Grigni, Kraig Horigan, Bryce Nakagawa, J. Scott Mike Montesa, Simon Seah, and Paul Wilcox. Reeves, Greg Smith, Tonya Walden Revised Edition Thanks: To Peter Corless for helping us real- Layout Design & Graphics: Mark Arsenault ize the “new” dream, Sakai Naoko and David Carroll for edi- Cartography: Mark Arsenault & Anthony J. Bryant torial contributions, Kurosawa Akira and Mifune Toshirô for Playtesters: Margaret Arsenault, Mark Arsenault, Andrew feuling the fire, Margaret for continued support, and to all the Bordner, Theron Bretz, Matt Converse-Willson, Josh Conway, fans for keeing Sengoku alive! Mark Craddock, Dorian Davis, Paul Delon, Frank Foulis, Scott Sengoku Mailing List: To join the Sengoku e-mail list just Galliand, Steve B. Hanson, Bruce Harlick, Charlie Heckman, point your web browser to the following web address: http:// Rex Hodge, Alan Hoyland, James Inkpen, Matthew Iskra, An- groups.yahoo.com/Sengoku/join. Or you can send an e-mail thony Jackson, Eric Jackson, Mike Jackson, Steve Kenson, to [email protected]. Sengoku: Chanbara Roleplaying in Feudal Japan and Sengoku are trademarks of Gold Rush Games for its feudal Japan roleplaying game. Copyright © 1997—2002 by Gold Rush Games. All rights reserved under international copyright conventions. FUZION is the FUZION Lab Group’s trademark for its multi-genre game system. Used under license. SENGOKU: REVISED EDITION This book is dedicated to two great icons of the chanbara cin- ema tradition, without whose influence the dream of SENGOKU the roleplaying game would never have come to pass. It’s said that as long as one is not forgotten they will never die. In this case, these two masters will certainly be immortal. MMIFUNE TTOSHIRÔ 1920—1997 KKUROSAWA AAKIRA 1910—1998 2 WWW.SENGOKU.COM Welcome to Sengoku: Chanbara Roleplaying in Feudal Japan, Revised Edition! Sengoku was originally released ni 1999 to criticial acclaim, excellent reviews and, soon after its release, an award for best Historic Game of 1999 (awarded by AniMail Newsletter, from Central park media). The popularity of the “samurai” genre is undisputable. Back in the early days of the role-playing and adventure gaming hobby, games such as Land of the Rising Sun and Bushidô brought the earliest glimpses of feudal Japan to the gaming table. There was a lull in samurai gaming, though over the years other games appealing to samurai fans were released, from card games to board games. I discovered Bushidô thanks to a freind of mine and fellow gamer, and I was hooked. That same year I saw the Shôgun mini-series fr the first time. I began a search to see as many samurai films as I could. Seven Samurai, Sanjuro, Yojimbo, Shôgun Assassin, Kage no Gundan...these films and television programs filled my mind and heart. Big screen or small, there was no samurai film and no period drama I could turn away from. I was a sponge. There was no turning back. As I ventured into publishing—mostly doing lcensed Hero System supplements—I decided to return to my one true love of gaming: Bushidô. I contacted the authors, Paul Hume and Robert Charrette about revising and relaunching the game in a new edition. A short time later we had a signed agreement and Bushidô Third Edition was in development! A short time later a card game was released that, once again, popularized the feudal Japanese setting in adventure games. Legend of the Five Rings was a hit, and thousands of new fans of the genre were born. An L5R role-playing game was planned soon to follow the card game. AEG approached me to work on the L5R project and to write the L5R RPG core book, knowing that I had already landed the Bushidô license and that I had a penchant for historical, feudal Japan and all things samurai. As fate would have it, AEG decided to go with a more “high fantasy”-style setting for their games and, ultimately, with an in-house developer— John Wick. The collectible card game was released, once again, popularized the feudal Japanese setting in adventure games. Legend of the Five Rings CCG was a hit, and thousands of new fans of the genre were born. The L5R role-playing game was released not long after, and bth continue to be enjoyed by fans around the world. (The L5R games are beautiful—and fun! If you’re into a more high fantasy, amalgamized Asian setting, check them out! To complicate things further, Fantasy Games Unlimited (publishers of the 1981 edition of Bushidô, contacted me re- garding our plan to publish Bushidô Third Edition. FGU maintained a claim of the Bushidô trademark. Though we had a license to publish the rules, they disputed our intended use of the Bushidô name. After discussions with FGU, we ulti- mately decided to develop our own, new game. The result of several years of work and the wonderful talents of many people listed in the credits page is what you hold in your hands. Sengoku is a work of love: a love of the history, a love ofthe culture, a love of the chanbara and jidai-geki, and a love of gaming. It is my sincere hope that you, too, love Sengoku and, if you do not already love the genre as we do, that you will soon. Arigato gozaimas’u. Mark Arsenault President Gold Rush Games 3 SSSENGOKUENGOKUENGOKU: R: REVISEDEVISEDEVISED E EDITIONDITIONDITION TABLE OFTABLE OF CONTENTSCONTENTSCONTENTS BEFORE WE BEGINBEFORE BEGIN .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 555 A BRIEF HISTORY OF JAPANA JAPAN ........................................................................................................................................................................ 111111 JAPANJAPANJAPAN ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................171717 MANNERS AND CUSTOMSMANNERS CUSTOMS .............................................................................................................................................................................. 252525 DAILY LIFE IN JAPANDAILY JAPAN ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 393939 RELIGIONRELIGIONRELIGION ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 656565 SOCIETAL STRUCTURESSOCIETAL STRUCTURES ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 797979 CREATING CHARACTERSCREATING CHARACTERS....................................................................................................................................................................................... 959595 OCCUPATIONSOCCUPATIONSOCCUPATIONS.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 119119119 SKILLSSKILLSSKILLS ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................139139139 BRINGING THE CHARACTER TO LIFEBRINGING LIFE.....................................................................................................................155155155 ARMS, ARMOR AND EQUIPMENTARMS, EQUIPMENT ....................................................................................................................................159159159 GAME RULESGAME RULES......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................197197197