- Pronouns
- They/Them
Huh. Interesting, when compared to their historical version. Of course, their historical version didn't have magic, didn't fight gods, etc, etc, so perhaps it ain't the best comparison.
In Thunder's Echo (Legend of the Five Rings Quest)
Huh. Interesting, when compared to their historical version. Of course, their historical version didn't have magic, didn't fight gods, etc, etc, so perhaps it ain't the best comparison.
Sirrocco
Pedantic
the historical version also varied pretty significantly over the centuries.
The question in effect is if we want for the Tsuruchi archer and/or the Mantis clan to have something we can give then while putting the facade of being what we waged in the contest (convoluted? We are of the Scorpion clan). There's the minor risk that the Tsuruchi don't win, sure, but with how much they are focused in archery compared to everyone else that's rather unlikely.
But anyway, as it currently stand I don't see much reason to do something like that, but it's something we might want to keep in mind if something does come up.
al103
Grumpy Russian Bear (SV edition)
- Location
- Russia, Krasnoyarsk
When they actually fought it was bow and spear. Then rifles and artillery. Bullshitdo and swordwank are essentially product of peacetime and medieval!ITGs. Sword was soul of samurai... as in it was sidearm to suicide with, not actually fight as main weapon.
Well, there were plenty of people with sword as main but they were far from majority.
al103
Grumpy Russian Bear (SV edition)
- Location
- Russia, Krasnoyarsk
Familiar - yes. But fight consisted from:
1. Raining arrows from far away
2. Retreating (if successful go to 1)
3. Cavalry charge with spears
4. Whatever
Sword was "whatever".
Besides tactics the reason for that was that blade itself should been exchanged after one battle. Or mid battle - hence two swords. There were exceptions with rare good ore deposits and smiths that could use that, but in general sword couldn't survive more than one battle. And swords were costly.
Sword was if you wound up fighting against infantry or in duels. Does a wicked number on lightly armored infantry, while spears are actually poor for ride-by attacks, though good for charges.
Every weapon had a role, and swords used too much good iron and skill to be developed if it was just a prestige weapons.
al103
Grumpy Russian Bear (SV edition)
- Location
- Russia, Krasnoyarsk
Sword used too much good iron and skill to be used. Because if you used sword in anything but short duel (which usually don't involve armor) you may as much as throw it out. Or replace blade on the same handle. Yes, when it comes to sword being only thing that you can use you obviously use sword
There is reason even poor samurai used mainly spear as infantry, not just ashigaru.
Yes, if you can afford it then sword was used more often... but those people were usually too busy with commanding people to do much swordfigting...
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Ah, the reverse myth of katanas being utterly crap swords which is as mythical as the godly folded steel miracle.
Japanese swords, used against the average armor available in the era, and presuming nothing as dumb as edge to edge blocking(though that's dumb with any bladed weapon), did their jobs perfectly well.
On the battlefield, the bow is king. On foot, you form up with all the other spearmen(though this meant things have gone FUBAR). On a mounted charge, you use a spear. On a mounted skirmish, you used a blade. In a duel you used a blade.
Just because sword fans are wrong doesn't mean that the direct opposite is true
Sirrocco
Pedantic
...and a quick Wikipedia trawl to get some perspective on the matter reminds me that history is *messy* - and that almost anything that you try to declare as sweeping generalization on "how things worked" across a multi-century period is going to be a hopeless oversimplification... like the fact that the era of the daisho-wearing samurai wasn't just ended by widespread use of firearms, it was actually *bracketed* by widespread use of firearms.
So in this case, I think we have to accept that making a game that would *accurately* represent a multi-generational society and its small and large developments in use of weapons and fighting schools and whatnot would be essentially impossible for any game - and also effectively unplayable out of the box due to the need to absorb Way Too Much Information first just in order to figure out what your starting character combat stats were. We accept that, and we move on, because this massively oversimplified fantasy world is fun, and we enjoy playing in it.
So in this case, I think we have to accept that making a game that would *accurately* represent a multi-generational society and its small and large developments in use of weapons and fighting schools and whatnot would be essentially impossible for any game - and also effectively unplayable out of the box due to the need to absorb Way Too Much Information first just in order to figure out what your starting character combat stats were. We accept that, and we move on, because this massively oversimplified fantasy world is fun, and we enjoy playing in it.
al103
Grumpy Russian Bear (SV edition)
- Location
- Russia, Krasnoyarsk
Not crap. They pretty good for they job and material used in they creation. It's just that it's easier to make a new new one than restore old one after heavy fight. They are shit to repair, not to fight with.
That, I can completely agree with. Though the amount of battle damage they take is exaggerated.
- Location
- London, England
Whereas Rokugan leans more toward the distinctly fantasy side of things, with a heavy helping of myth and magic. A Kaiu Blade, for example, is a katana forged so well that it never loses its edge and cannot be broken by any kind of mortal force. Kakita sword smiths test their greatest creations by splitting a boulder with them.
Anyway, I think we have a consensus on the spending of XP, so I'll go and update the character sheet and then figure out the next post. Which is probably going to be meeting the Crane for your game of Go with Daidoji Chen.
Anyway, I think we have a consensus on the spending of XP, so I'll go and update the character sheet and then figure out the next post. Which is probably going to be meeting the Crane for your game of Go with Daidoji Chen.
2.1 - Second day of the Boar
- Location
- London, England
After the rather dramatic conclusion to the first day of court, your delegation spends much of the evening in your quarters, quietly discussing what you have learned about the personalities and intentions of the representatives from the other Clans. Yogo Hanzo seems reasonably confident that he can handle speaking to the Unicorn and the Dragon, though he is also willing to make introductions for the two of you if other developments require it.
Halfway through your deliberations a low ranking Lion samurai arrives with a scroll detailing the full schedule of the Court, as well as an invitation for Bayushi Kimoko to dine with the Matsu Daimyo the following evening. Your superior accepts with a smile, waiting until the Lion has gone before turning back to you.
"I expect I will be fully occupied with the Matsu for most of the court." She says thoughtfully. "I believe I can handle the higher level negotiations with them. Soshi-san, prioritize the Crane for the moment. They hate the Lion and the Lion hate them, so being on good terms with both allows us to act as intermediaries."
"Hai, Bayushi-sama." You say with a nod. "I believe I can arrange that."
-/-
Your sleep is not particularly comfortable, for the quarters that the Lion have provided are spartan in the extreme. Still, you are not so thin skinned as to complain about such minor problems. You do not dream.
The next morning, you are woken to the sound of a hundred roaring voices, backed by the endless clatter of wood against wood. It appears that the Lion rise with the sun, and have no intention of slacking on their training just because of the cold air. There are several units already moving through a series of katas and exercise routines on the parade ground outside, and they are far from quiet. Grimacing, you make a mental note to avoid late nights, since recovering with extended rest the following morning seems like it will be somewhat difficult.
A servant brings a message along with your food, confirming your invitation to play Go with Daidoji Chen. A quick check confirms that the standard schedule will be followed here - court is officially open until noon, after which the rest of the day is left free for the guests to occupy themselves. After a moment's consideration, you write back with a request to play during court itself, on the upper balcony, so that you might be near at hand if your lord requires your services.
Chen agrees, and so the morning finds you once again on the balcony that you used to speak with Asako Tani the evening before. Several of the Go boards here are occupied already, primarily by Lion officers, but you spot the Daidoji at the far end of the balcony sitting by a spare board in a location where he can view the entire hall with a glance. This seems appropriate, but you are somewhat surprised to note that Doji Mariko has located a cushion and is kneeling next to the board as well.
This is an unexpectedly direct step. Normally you would have expected the Crane to keep contact between you to a minimum initially, allowing Chen to get a good feel for your personality before introducing you to his superior, but it seems they have opted to skip that initial step. Still, you can't exactly turn around now, and so you fix your On in place and approach the board.
"Ah, Soshi-san, good to see you." Daidoji Chen says, rising and bowing to you politely as you approach. "Please, allow me to introduce Doji Mariko."
The Crane courtier smiles at you and likewise bows, though not as deeply as her subordinate. "Good morning, Soshi-san. I hope I am not intruding - Daidoji-san is instructing me in the game and believed it would be educational to witness a match between him and an opponent from outside the Clan."
"That sounds like a fine idea, Doji-sama." You reply, bowing to them both and taking your seat on the other side of the Go table. "I myself have never played anyone outside of my Clan. I hope the experience will be educational for us all."
Doji Mariko smiles. "I'm sure it will be, Soshi-san."
How do you wish to play?
[ ] Play to win
[ ] Play to lose (non-obviously)
[ ] Play to prolong the game and thus conversation.
It would be rude to remain silent during the game. What will you talk about?
[ ] Allow the Crane to set the tone
[ ] Choose a topic to speak about (write in)
Halfway through your deliberations a low ranking Lion samurai arrives with a scroll detailing the full schedule of the Court, as well as an invitation for Bayushi Kimoko to dine with the Matsu Daimyo the following evening. Your superior accepts with a smile, waiting until the Lion has gone before turning back to you.
"I expect I will be fully occupied with the Matsu for most of the court." She says thoughtfully. "I believe I can handle the higher level negotiations with them. Soshi-san, prioritize the Crane for the moment. They hate the Lion and the Lion hate them, so being on good terms with both allows us to act as intermediaries."
"Hai, Bayushi-sama." You say with a nod. "I believe I can arrange that."
-/-
Your sleep is not particularly comfortable, for the quarters that the Lion have provided are spartan in the extreme. Still, you are not so thin skinned as to complain about such minor problems. You do not dream.
The next morning, you are woken to the sound of a hundred roaring voices, backed by the endless clatter of wood against wood. It appears that the Lion rise with the sun, and have no intention of slacking on their training just because of the cold air. There are several units already moving through a series of katas and exercise routines on the parade ground outside, and they are far from quiet. Grimacing, you make a mental note to avoid late nights, since recovering with extended rest the following morning seems like it will be somewhat difficult.
A servant brings a message along with your food, confirming your invitation to play Go with Daidoji Chen. A quick check confirms that the standard schedule will be followed here - court is officially open until noon, after which the rest of the day is left free for the guests to occupy themselves. After a moment's consideration, you write back with a request to play during court itself, on the upper balcony, so that you might be near at hand if your lord requires your services.
Chen agrees, and so the morning finds you once again on the balcony that you used to speak with Asako Tani the evening before. Several of the Go boards here are occupied already, primarily by Lion officers, but you spot the Daidoji at the far end of the balcony sitting by a spare board in a location where he can view the entire hall with a glance. This seems appropriate, but you are somewhat surprised to note that Doji Mariko has located a cushion and is kneeling next to the board as well.
This is an unexpectedly direct step. Normally you would have expected the Crane to keep contact between you to a minimum initially, allowing Chen to get a good feel for your personality before introducing you to his superior, but it seems they have opted to skip that initial step. Still, you can't exactly turn around now, and so you fix your On in place and approach the board.
"Ah, Soshi-san, good to see you." Daidoji Chen says, rising and bowing to you politely as you approach. "Please, allow me to introduce Doji Mariko."
The Crane courtier smiles at you and likewise bows, though not as deeply as her subordinate. "Good morning, Soshi-san. I hope I am not intruding - Daidoji-san is instructing me in the game and believed it would be educational to witness a match between him and an opponent from outside the Clan."
"That sounds like a fine idea, Doji-sama." You reply, bowing to them both and taking your seat on the other side of the Go table. "I myself have never played anyone outside of my Clan. I hope the experience will be educational for us all."
Doji Mariko smiles. "I'm sure it will be, Soshi-san."
How do you wish to play?
[ ] Play to win
[ ] Play to lose (non-obviously)
[ ] Play to prolong the game and thus conversation.
It would be rude to remain silent during the game. What will you talk about?
[ ] Allow the Crane to set the tone
[ ] Choose a topic to speak about (write in)
bookwyrm
Doom of Public Libraries
- Location
- Wichita, Kansas
So what's the plan here? We and the Crane are getting into an alliance more likely than not and we plan on playing both sides, perhaps even presenting ourselves as neutral to the Phoenix, we need to set the tone and conditions of our alliance so the Crane don't get pissed off when we don't help them pound the Lions into figurative dust in court. So we need to tell them we aren't going to harm the Lions overtly, we're going to do things Scorpion style and do things behind the scenes. Allowing us to tell the Peace faction we're restraining the War faction, tell the Lions we're brutal frenemies and won't play weak courtly games with the Crane, and tell the War faction that by being the good cop we're ringing loads of shameful concessions out of the Lions behind closed doors.
[X] Play to Win
[X] Choose a topic to discuss: the different approaches to intellectual and artistic pursits of the various Clans. I.E. the Scorpion's layers and layers of trickery play the Lions better than the elegance of the Crane.
[X] Play to Win
[X] Choose a topic to discuss: the different approaches to intellectual and artistic pursits of the various Clans. I.E. the Scorpion's layers and layers of trickery play the Lions better than the elegance of the Crane.
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A Nation's Virtue
南國山河南帝居
[X] Play to prolong the game and thus conversation.
[X] Allow the Crane to set the tone
[X] Allow the Crane to set the tone
- Location
- Leeds
We're playing Mariko?
Erm if we're really confident we can win, we could play for a draw. Extremely difficult however . . . anyone good enough to recognise it will be impressed, anyone worse probably won't notice it.
Erm if we're really confident we can win, we could play for a draw. Extremely difficult however . . . anyone good enough to recognise it will be impressed, anyone worse probably won't notice it.
Wade Garrett
Just trying to do the right thing
- Pronouns
- He/His/Him
[X] Play to win
[X] Allow the Crane to set the tone
My familiarity with Rokugan customs kind of isn't, but I imagine trying to deliberately lose a contest like this will be seen as an insult if the Crane catch on to it.
Letting the Crane set the tone...we're trying to find out what they want from us, what their agenda is (insofar as anybody is going to be revealing any agendas in a room full ofLannisters Lion soldiers, and that's easier to get around to if we let them talk.
[X] Allow the Crane to set the tone
My familiarity with Rokugan customs kind of isn't, but I imagine trying to deliberately lose a contest like this will be seen as an insult if the Crane catch on to it.
Letting the Crane set the tone...we're trying to find out what they want from us, what their agenda is (insofar as anybody is going to be revealing any agendas in a room full of
I think she's just sitting by and watching, and talking, with the (rather thin) exuse of wanting to see how her subordinate does against someone outside his clan.
Hm, I actually hadn't considered that possibility. It's definitely a good idea, though we'll probably have to be careful not to cozy up to one of them so much that the other takes offense.
As for the game...
Playing to lose might help to downplay our skills at Go, and/or our intellect in general. This could either set us up for the Hachiman Go-tournament, or, by looking less intelligent than we are, might lead to the Crane letting things slip that they otherwise wouldn't. But, might also end up damaging our relation with the Crane; either from the get-go, if he catches on, or later if they wise up.
Playing to win might get us some respect for being a skilled Go-player, and possibly also lead to something like Mariko requesting the occasional game with us, in the name of learning the game. This would allow for a lot of opportunities to speak with her about all sorts of matters, and possibly lead to a court-romance which could open a lot of doors.
Prolonging the game is fairly straightforward; it means we have more time to talk. However, this might not be that beneficial, as there is probably the possibility to just play another game (perhaps against Mariko). It might also give the wrong impression on the Crane, like us having some sort of important discussion-topic in mind, and thus cost us some face if it turns out that we don't.
The conversation itself is obviously also important; we need to keep in mind that our behavior here will not only impact what sort of information we get, but also how the Crane will view us
Letting the Crane set the tone, for example, might project an image of passivity, and/or inexperience. The latter could be useful if we wish to be underestimated, but it could also lower the Crane's interest in us, depending on their purpose here.
Ideally, I'd like to find out what the Crane wants, but also see if we can get their opinion on things like the opening of the court and the gifts the various delegations gave, or the clash between Ketsui and Kimoko.
I'll wait a little with my vote for Sirrocco to show up.
No, we're playing Chen; Mariko is only there to "observe" the match; which might either be the truth, and Mariko is only starting to learn Go (depends on whether she's as young as she appears in the picture, though the fact that she seems to be leading the delegation makes this rather doubtful), or, more likely, it might be a polite fiction that allows her to speak with us informally about political or diplomatic topics.
Depends on the person.
For instance, when playing the Emperor, you are EXPECTED to throw the game, after a good fight.
In this case, we play to win if we want to prove a thing. We play to lose(with style) to 'gift' them a victory and conceal our true capabilities.
...or we take it like what this meeting is, an opportunity to learn about them, and to be seen with them.
Definitely must have the talk topics to make it work however
[ ] Play to win
Why would we want to win and enter in a game of strength with the crane?
We are winning, for now, but we have to get to now them
[ ] Play to lose (non-obviously)
Why would we position ourselves as under their influence (the fact that they are here now, is because we have more than them)
[X] Play to prolong the game and thus conversation.
It would be rude to remain silent during the game. What will you talk about?
These options I am in Doubt.
But, as we don't have any pressing topic, we may let them speak and go from there.
[X] Allow the Crane to set the tone
[ ] Choose a topic to speak about (write in)
Why would we want to win and enter in a game of strength with the crane?
We are winning, for now, but we have to get to now them
[ ] Play to lose (non-obviously)
Why would we position ourselves as under their influence (the fact that they are here now, is because we have more than them)
[X] Play to prolong the game and thus conversation.
It would be rude to remain silent during the game. What will you talk about?
These options I am in Doubt.
But, as we don't have any pressing topic, we may let them speak and go from there.
[X] Allow the Crane to set the tone
[ ] Choose a topic to speak about (write in)
The Crane are playing catching up.
We got the better round in the last round.
They come here expecting to have in us an ally of oportunity against the lion... then we went and get an in with their oponents.
This meeting is them trying to fell us up and see what we want (if they take the l3ad)
The problem is that our orders are to get to know them so we can act as an arbiter.
This is what we would expect to be the tone of out talks (if we take the lead) .
The positions are antagonic but if they take the lead, we can find a way to change the tone and subject for what we desire.
On the game, they are a power play.
If we win, we can expect to get more games, but at the same time we will be setting the tone (we want to win at any cost)
If we lose, we will get more games, but we will set the tone (you take the lead)
Talking our time bring it's own set of troubles , as we will be seen with the Crane during the court.