The thing is about Go, IIRC (which I might not entirely ._.) is that it's not just a game - it's an indicator of martial aptitude as much as anything else. Being good at it is something very useful to a Samurai of any walk of life and we for sure want it.
5k4 with exploding 10s nets us an average of ~28 with a rather high variance. Going over the TN reference list in the 4E corebook, the TNs scale, loosely, as follows with the given examples:
TN 5 (Very Easy)- e.g. hitting a stationary target
TN 10 (Easy)- carrying half your weight
TN 15 (Average)- lifting your weight
TN 20 (Moderate)- Jumping a ten-foot ditch
TN 25 (Difficult)- Scaling a cliff without rope
TN 30 (Very Hard)- Diving safely from a waterfall
TN 40 (Heroic)- Out-wrestling a troll
And I repeat: at something used to demonstrate intelligence and martial aptitude (to an extent; it's indicative more than anything, really) we are averaging very very high.
We want it as a Skill because it will open all kinds of doors for us.
The thing is about Go, IIRC (which I might not entirely ._.) is that it's not just a game - it's an indicator of martial aptitude as much as anything else. Being good at it is something very useful to a Samurai of any walk of life and we for sure want it.
5k4 with exploding 10s nets us an average of ~28 with a rather high variance. Going over the TN reference list in the 4E corebook, the TNs scale, loosely, as follows with the given examples:
TN 5 (Very Easy)- e.g. hitting a stationary target
TN 10 (Easy)- carrying half your weight
TN 15 (Average)- lifting your weight
TN 20 (Moderate)- Jumping a ten-foot ditch
TN 25 (Difficult)- Scaling a cliff without rope
TN 30 (Very Hard)- Diving safely from a waterfall
TN 40 (Heroic)- Out-wrestling a troll
And I repeat: at something used to demonstrate intelligence and martial aptitude (to an extent; it's indicative more than anything, really) we are averaging very very high.
We want it as a Skill because it will open all kinds of doors for us.
You do indeed recall correctly - Go is one of the traditional court games, enjoyed by basically everyone. There will be a Go tournament at every serious court, and it has been used as an analogy for everything from romance to enlightenment. The Imperial Winter Court places several Go boards on a balcony overlooking the main audience chamber, so that players can watch the highest levels of the nation's politics while enjoying a good game.
The vast majority of Emperors play the game, and their opponents range from grand champions to random Bushi they liked the look of. Needless to say, anyone who puts up a good fight in a match with the Emperor (before inevitably losing) can find themselves catapulted into the higher strata of society.
In short - invest in the Go skill. You'll be glad you did.
The vast majority of Emperors play the game, and their opponents range from grand champions to random Bushi they liked the look of. Needless to say, anyone who puts up a good fight in a match with the Emperor (before inevitably losing) can find themselves catapulted into the higher strata of society.
If you do happen beat the Emperor, deciding not to give him the win (without it looking like that) in a fit of temporary insanity, then uh... Bad Things. If you're lucky, the Emperor in question covertly makes you a pariah and everyone hates you forever and ever.
If you're unlucky and the Emperor doesn't want to be nice he just kills you.
Moral of the story, kids: you do not beat the Emperor.
[X] Winged Knight
[X] Gain Games: Go at 1
this looks good to me
Oh cool the name I chose got picked.
Okay images I like this guy the most but you need to ignore the green clothes,dragons and no mask. Kitsuki Jakuei.jpg
He got the whole investigator thing going on tho.
This one is a pretty nice Scorpion pic that fits our guy but I wish he had a different hairstyle. Bayushi Komiya.jpg
Don't care much for the mask also.
Now here is a mask of a man you can trust. View image: Mask
And... vote called. Looks like we'll be going with Winged Knight's offering, plus a rank in Go. I'll write up the character sheet and then get to work on the first actual IC post.
... well shit. I can't say that I'm at all surprised, given how we've ended up built but uh. Shit.
For those of you that don't know, Shiro Matsu is one of the worst places to be a guest at because it's basically a giant barrack full of angry, large, muscular and highly zealous women that won't stop shouting at you for not acquiescing and bowing to their unquestionable honor. Granted we'll be relatively well off, and I expect things to be very interesting for us because of how we are.
So on one hand this is perfect for somebody like us.
How many battles have been fought here, over the eleven centuries since the Kami descended from the Heavens and founded the Empire? You doubt anyone truly knows, for no matter how meticulous the historians are there will always be some things which manage to be overlooked. Some clashes are not worth remembering, while others simply get lost in the tide.
The pass is one of the primary trading links connecting the north and south halves of Rokugan, as well as being one of the very few passages wide enough to move an army through the Spine of the World in good order. It is perhaps the premier strategic location in all of Rokugan, and everyone from bandits to samurai to the demon hordes of Jigoku have fought and died here, their blood soaking into the hard mountain stone. You've seen the memorials, the dozens of shrines scattered throughout the pass, each holding a record of everyone who died in that spot and when. It seems wrong to pass them by without stopping to offer a prayer for the departed, but there are simply so many that you lack the time.
Winter is almost upon you, and already you can see the snowline crawling down the slopes of the mountains around you. The air is cold, every breath like a blast of ice in your lungs, and you estimate it will be a matter of weeks at the most before Beiden becomes utterly impassable. More than enough time to reach your destination, though in your heart you would not complain if a sudden snowfall were to block the pass and force you to turn back. It would save you from spending the rest of the winter at Shiro Matsu, after all.
But no, you have your orders and you will carry them out. Shiro Matsu dominates the northern end of Beiden Pass, and the samurai stationed there have full authority over every caravan and messenger that passes through. It is vitally important, then, that your Clan retain reasonably good relations with the Matsu, and part of that means accepting the invitations that they send out to their Winter Court. It will be a harsh and uncomfortable winter, but you are used to such things, and there is no sense in complaining about what you cannot change.
Sighing, you nudge your pony into motion and move back towards the caravan. Courtesy may have demanded that the Matsu issue you invitations, but there was evidently no requirement for them to send more than the bare minimum. As such, there are only three Samurai in your party - you, Yogo Hanzo and Bayushi Kimoko. The rest of your little caravan is made up of the peasants that will do most of the actual work once you are there - merchants and administrators for the most part, charged with negotiating all of the fine details surrounding trade tariffs and rice shipments.
You might as well take the opportunity to get to know some of them better - this is your first time meeting any of them, and you are likely to be stuck together for a considerable length of time during the court.
Who do you speak to?
- [ ] Bayushi Kimoko, the leader of your delegation. Surprisingly not a courtier, but rather a veteran Bushi with streaks of grey in her hair.
- [ ] Yogo Hanzo, a quiet and intense man with the markings of a Shugenja.
- [ ] Pale Oak, the most senior of the merchants.
- [X] Bayushi Kimoko, the leader of your delegation. Surprisingly not a courtier, but rather a veteran Bushi with streaks of grey in her hair.
Might as well start with the highest ranking one, get a feel for how he leads and what plans he's got. If nothing else, we're likely to have something to talk about to break the ice, since we share a school.
I'm surprised there are no actual courtiers being sent. Then again this might make sense considering the excessively martial nature of Shiro Matsu...
