L5R - Unity - Bath House (OOC Thread)

[Daidoji Hotaru]

First off, I'm very happy that it wasn't cancer. It's in peoples lives far too much with friends or family, or general acquaintances already. We've been having an odd thunderstorm season that is setting off lots of asthma allergies for people, to the point of several deaths. Not really related, but an interesting point.

I am more than happy to wait for a new campaign, especially if it maintains the cohesion and balance you have at the moment. I generally take a week at least to make a character anyway.

I don't have any ideas as to setting/plot right now, but perhaps my interests as to types of characters will help narrow it down. I generally enjoy playing individuals who have a bit of everything, the well rounded sort. They are my 'safe' zone that gives me some chance of fitting in anywhere.

A few have been floating around in my head lately. Not in any particular order.

1. A 'trick-shot' archer who travels the lands, finding Kyujutsu tournaments or challenging people to a test of skill with the bow in order to gain fame and prove her abilities. She's soft hearted, one reason that its entertainment and non-lethal means she tries to prove her skill. And she'll do her best to cover the fact that she dreads ever taking a life.

2. A Doji Warrior Poet, skilled in Iaijutsu but reserved enough not to directly seek out opponents. She's reluctant to boast about or share her poetry openly, preferring to do so through Letters to people of interest. And unless she's mentioned it, she looks like a typical Kakita bushi for the most part. Much of her time since leaving school has been spent patrolling or escorting trade caravans. Many a night she's told stories by the fire to calm scared children, or to lift the spirits of wounded troops.

3. Daidoji Iron Warrior yojimbo with aspirations to one day guard the Imperial Families (Empress Guard). A duty performed by an ancestor in the past to great effect. Its a long road to get there, and likely will require access to more important guard opportunities etc. There may be an addiction she fights, gambling...sake...activities that don't particular make her goals easy.

Perhaps if any of these seem to fit with a type of character that Psychofish would enjoy playing it might be a good place to start. Either way I can usually fit into a setting if its something you would be interested in running.

Probably not a great deal of help so far, but there we go.  

[Psychofish]

Rain Yupa

Daidoji Hotaru

I think we were talking more type of campaign/story for the moment than character- court heavy, war, shadowlands, mystery, exploration, etc, or overarching themes. But I think we can take care of that. I know Rain has mentioned a few ideas in the past.

The only one that jumps to mind immediately was an idea we discussed of revolving a game around the Gentry advantage- the party actually owning and having to care for a settlement and all the associated responsibilities. He also had a game that died about a party exploring, tasked with updating maps of the empire, that I liked the sounds of. Beyond that, from those characters I'd take it you'd lean towards most ideas before a straight up war or into/against the Shadowlands themed game, which works for me too. I do like my bushi, but I'm not as fond of combat to nearly the exclusion of other elements.


I'm also seeing a definite (and really should not be surprising) taste for the Crane clan. I'm not as big on them typically, but once I know what we're playing I can figure out if it makes more sense for me to go Crane too or try another clan. I'm used to filling parties/trying to create party dynamics, so I can probably play with whatever. I've been meaning to try shugenja- but then, I do like my bushi quite a bit, as well as my less-traditional courtiers.  

[Rain Yupa]

Since I didn't have any definite campaign ideas in mind (I wasn't exactly prepared for the sudden appearance of another L5R player), I felt I should ask. Some people are really taken with anti-shadowlands campaigns, or some people want court-heavy situations only, etc. If you had a strong preference towards anything, I felt I should ask.

I could do a Cartographers Mk 2 campaign. When I played in the cartographers game IRL, there was only the GM and 2 players. That could be the both of you. The premise is that you're hired to map/remap some lesser-traveled, less-populated provinces in the empire. Depending on when its run, it could even be post-war/post-cataclysmic event, which would further explain why it needs to be remapped.

When I tried to run it here the first time, pulling from my experiences, I had a much larger group (before I discovered smaller groups worked best in PBP). We had a PC in charge of the actual map-making. When I played in the campaign I took inspiration from as a PC, me and the other player were guarding a Miya cartographer NPC. Something similar would work for the 2-player game unless one of you really wanted mapping duty.

The way my GM had run Cartographers for us is that all of us submitted descriptions of certain areas/landmarks/important instances of the province on index cards, which were shuffled and laid out, and only the GM would see what was there when we traveled to that section. So we knew about a third of the potential encounters, but not what anyone else (including the GM himself) submitted.

Fun anecdote: When I ran it here, the province we went to had like, 7 lakes. People loved themselves some lakes.

Would that be something that interested the two of you in playing?  

[Daidoji Hotaru]

Hmmm, the gentry idea would be interesting but at the same time if the concept of a Daidoji Iron Warrior looking to one day become an Empress Guard was okay for the Cartographer plot it could be exciting to do. I figure if it was similar to guarding a Miya it would blend well.

If not, I can easily try a different character. No issue there.  

[Plainsfox]

*sobs at the unlearned fate of poor Kitsune Hikaru*  

[Raganui Minamoto]

Nice to meet you, Hotaru. Good luck with these crazy peoples. We're all happy to discuss character ideas and all, or just about anything. Also... ninja Rain's currently the only reliable GM here.  

[Psychofish]

Well, you know that I'm fine by Cartographers. I'd been very interested in that one back when. Though if we have a Daidoji you probably don't need me to try going Akodo to give the party a straight man this time.

I think the Miya NPC bit might depend on how many PCs are getting into this. It makes a lot of sense, and I've always enjoyed your... very colorful NPCs. Worth noting it avoids the pitfall of one PC having to be protected by the others/avoid risks at all costs. It's also probably the most reasonable family to expect to be assigned the map making, unless the area just isn't considered that important or I play a rather well recognized low-insight Asako. Which I'm neither sold on, nor against- I do like my lore and int skills, but this also sounds like a fine opportunity for trying shugenja out.

Edit: If you have a Skype and care to use that to plan or keep up on this Hotaru, my handle is aaron_matzke, and I can toss Rain an invite to the chat as well.

In the meanwhile, I'll probably pick out a number of classes I might like to play for this if work allows me a chance to think over it. Probably leaning heavily for things not straight up bushi/yojimbo if we already have a Daidoji. Scouts, courtiers, shugenja.  

[Daidoji Hotaru]

I'm happy to try any character, I have a feeling I can play the Daidoji in a face to face game next year. So its really not a worry to come up with a more appropriate character.

I'll add you to Skype, as I'm sure not cluttering up the OOC chat for those actually RPing would be nice.

Thanks!  

[Raganui Minamoto]

If you want an opinion from someone not in that game, you could add me as well. It's raganui  

[Rain Yupa]

Glory Sieg

Raganui Minamoto

Paidi tou Selini

Plainsfox

and

Psychofish

Since you've backread the whole thing and are invested in the story, you can vote too.

Updated the XP log. If you lot have any honor changes to call, call them now.

Also, time for Day 3 NPC highlight! Cast your votes! Your choices are:

• Doji Sawao
  
• Shosuro Kazu
  
• Leroy Jenkins
  
• Yoritomo Kiyonobu
  
• Hiruma Shigemasa
  
• Kakita Otsu
  
• Yoritomo Katsue
  
• Moto Guntomar

 

[Paidi tou Selini]

Honor gain, showing sincere courtesy to an enemy/rival, +2.

And sure, I'll vote Mr. Jenkins. x3 Saved his life, may as well know more about him.


Also, hello new person! If you're uncomfortable with a girl hitting on you tell me now. I can be pretty shameless at times, and like all of my characters are either lesbian or bi.  

[Plainsfox]

Use of a low skill: -3 honor points

Voting for Mr Jenkins.

Also, sorry for not properly introducing myself, I'm the unreliable slacker l5R GM. Good luck!  

[Raganui Minamoto]

Going with Shosuro Kazu  

[Psychofish]

If I had to toss in a vote, I think Otsu.

But if it's between Aritomo and Kazu, I'll take Aritomo.  

[Rain Yupa]

Psychofish

If I had to toss in a vote, I think Otsu.

But if it's between Aritomo and Kazu, I'll take Aritomo.

It -isn't- between two characters, its between eight.