Discuss Frasibility of an RPG setting: Sho'gun

[ColourDeaf]

Wow...new layout. Cool.

Alright, after watching Samurai Champloo (very kick-arse), listening to much too much Wu-Tang Clan (whom rock) and reading the Years of Rice and Salt (which I highly recommend), an idea concoted in my sleep deprived and caffiene-driven mind. Taking the traditional and well known ideal of samurai, and putting them into a modern setting. Here's the basic idea.

Sho'gun

The west never gained power, most of them being wiped out by the black plague (which struck for the first time sometime after the fall of the roman empire). in it's place the East, Japan and China particularly, spread it's influence in the world. The year is now 2004 ACE (After Common Era), and this is the City-State of Okinawa.

The State of the system.

Europe has been split roughly in three sections politically, Up to spain and across to England is the domain of the Celtic States, based primarily in England (the place least affected by the plagues, being an island). These are the few Caucasian people left in the world. The States have precious little political power, and are generally left to their own devices. The main military force of the Celts are Mercanaries, which there is no shortage of. On the whole, the Celtic States are the place of refuge for all criminals and ne'er do wells of the world, who just want to escape.

The Mediterranian and everything north of it in between Germany and Russia, reaching down to engulf Africa is the Nubian Republic, who's main base of power is in Egypt. The Nubians are the strongest military force in the world, and have a strong Heirachical system in place. The people are plit into two groups, the higher class and the lower class, and never the two shall meet. The nobians have a great amount of natural resources, which they exploit to great effect.

Russia and everything east, cutting what we know as China in half is the Cathayan Dominion. This is where the greatest number of people live, and has been the site huge leaps in technology. Unfortunately, there is also a great amount of crime in the dominion, and anyone who is anyone is part of the local gang. This often leads to city wide riots and gang wars on a national scale. Many gangs look for new territory in Japan.

Japan itself is part of th Nippon Shogunate, which takes the remaining half of China, Japan and most of Indonesia. Here the old ideas of the Samurai have flourished, the Families have spread, and the Emperor has more power than ever. The Samurai are a steadfast people, and have their hands in every possible pie, although as a country the economy is merely stable, not improving.

Little is known about what we know as the New World. North and South America cut off most communications to the outside world just as the ecomomy was flourishing, and have become an isolationist state, and Australia has simply been left to grow and live out it's time, the Aboriginis undisturbed by a mutual agreement by the four political powers.

That's the base idea.

Next Post: The Peoples of the Sho'gun world.

Any reactions?

[DeadSeraphim]

[font=Arial][size=1][color=Indigo]It reminds me a bit of Final Fantasy VIII, to some degree, but only in the fact that there is an entire (presumabley powerful) country cut off from the rest of the world. [spoiler]I think it was Esther that filled that role in FFVIII.[/spoiler]

The world seems rather well-made, and I'm wondering what the plot would be. Mayhap an expedition to the New World? Or a large scale uprising from the Celtic States, maybe. I dunno. Its your RP, after all, heh.

I think you'd need more detail about the countries first though. While the information provided now is satisfactory for an outline, it seems almost likely that it wouldn't just be 'the Chinese-in Europe'. Given more space, and about 2000 years to expand, their culture may be different.[/color][/size][/font]

[Doukeshi]

I really like this, it seems that you have a very detailed perspective of your world going on there..well maybe not detailed, but its a very good start ^_^. I like the whole idea of the Celtic States being Mercs and whatnot, 'cause that's all we're good for really heh heh. Are you going to talk about Australia, the Americas and Canada? It seems to me that you've just left them out.

[ColourDeaf]

Alright, I'll clarify a couple of things.

Australia is being left alone (I think the aborigines should get some slack), it doesn't have many natural resources, little strategic importance, most of the country is barely habitable, and the main reason anyone colonized it was to make a big old prison. Canada's mostly the same (although the Iroquois tribe has been slowly moving into it).

What's actually happening in the Americas is the Iroquois tribe of Native Americans has spread, banding the other tribes together. Without the interference of the English the Native Americans have flourished, with the aid of the Nippon shogunate and the technology of the Cathayan Dominion, they're biding their time and building their forces, until they break down the blockades around the ports of the country and reveal themselves to the world as the latest of the superpowers. Basically the same is happening in South America, but they're taking it more as a "Crusade" than anything else (the zealous religious traditions have become so deep rooted in their society it is integral of every aspect of their lives, from war to food).

Alright, if you have any more questions, just post...but for now, I bring you the first of three installments on the people of the Sho?gun world:

The People of Sho'gun (or "Who be these fools?")
Installment 1: East

Nipponese
The people of the Nipponese shogunate have a strong base of hierarchy. The ideals of the Samurai have still prevailed for the last two thousand years (although there have been a few changes in their role and the finer points of Bushido, but they are mostly negligible). The basic structure is as follow (from highest rank to lowest).
Emperor
Daimyo (Leaders of a Samurai Family)
Kuge (Samurai of noble blood)
Bushi (?Rank-and-file? Samurai, officials)
Heimin (Half-people: Commoners, farmers, foreigners etc)
Hinin (Non-People: Those who touch corpses, ninja, geisha, ronin etc)
Within these castes, however, there are subtle differences in rank depending on what you do, your skill in it and, of course, your bloodline. In the world of the Shogunate, the main thing that separates you from everyone else is your Family. A disgrace in a Family will have a ripple effect not only to members of that bloodline, but to Families that have had open relationships with that Family, political or financially. Matters between Families are normally sorted out in one of two ways, and this is especially true for Samurai Families. ?Closed War,? as it is commonly known as, is a loose category for intrigue of vindication against a family or individual, such as discreetly slandering their name, crippling them economically or some such action, as long as it does not directly harm the party physically. ?Open War?, on the other hand, is the use of physical force for means of vindication. This can range from anywhere between subtle assassination to violent street wars.
The Bushi Samurai are the main peacekeeping force of the Shogunate, and the lower ranked officers of its army. Unlike olden times, however, the Samurai do no have to carry around their Daisho (traditional sword combination of katana and wakizashi), and many do not even own one, seeing it as primitive and unreliable. They do all still, however, all conform to the traditional code of Bushido (or ?Way of the Warrior?), and train relentlessly in whatever weapon they specialize in (more on weapons later).
It is bad grace to harm a Heimin without due cause (thus helping the balance of karma and ensuring the code of bushido is kept). These are the working stiffs of the Shogunate, the nobodies, the huddled masses, as it were. Gaijin (foreigners) are also put into this category, but more to help with international relations than anything else.
Hinin, however, are a completely different matter.
These are people that do not (or are not allowed) exist officially. These is the wide group for all convicted criminals, people who touch corpses (even the corpses of animals), geisha (and other whores), and of course, Ronin (or ?wave-men?), Samurai without a Family or not under the rule of a Daimyo. Ronin are often hired by villages to protect them or find someone (like a bounty hunter), or by a Daimyo to act as cannon fodder for their personal entourage. While there is no dishonor in killing a hinin, it is frowned upon generally (being seen a vulgar), and some actions can be actually damaging to their reputation (such as bedding a certain Daimyo?s favorite Geisha).
There is, however, a wildcard within the Hinin. The Ninja.
The Ninja is a secret caste of warriors (although the term is used very loosely) who many do not believe actually exist. They are not people (even less so than normal hinin), and are considered property by whoever controls them. It is a loose group, ranging from suicide bombers to snipers and everything else in between. Few have the skill of a well trained Samurai, and are more akin to a weapon than a warrior, a one shot gun. They are normally trained exclusively in one weapon or tactic, such as poisoning or demolition. They have no names themselves, but are often given pseudonyms by their owners (commonly merely the name of an animal).

The Nipponese shogunate is not a culture of great leisure, preferring simple pleasures. It is for this reason many Geisha are trained in the subtle and intricate art of conversation, and a well-spoken Geisha is highly sought after. However, many Heimin like to cut loose and enjoy themselves, and for this sometimes a bottle of good wine isn?t enough. Many cities have fighting arenas (called Dojo), where the audience can watch fights with great amusement. The main attraction of many Dojo are the Sumo and Sumei matches. Sumo matches are wrestling matches of warriors of extreme girth or muscle, the objective being to push or throw your opponent out of the ring, while a Sumei match is more akin to the WWF. In here the warriors normally sport large and powerful artificial augmentations, a piston driven arm here, a hydraulic leg there, and the match is simply to knock your opponent unconscious. While the Sumei matches often bring in bigger crowds, there tend to be higher bets on the Sumo matches, as it takes much more skill to be a great Sumo wrestler. It is a known fact that the Emperor himself has a host of Sumo wrestlers as his personal honor guard, and they are a force to be reckoned with.



Cathay
The Cathayan Republic is a group of countries under the mutual rule of a democratically elected leader. This leaser, however, is more of a figurehead than anything else, and most of his honors are merely dotting the T?s and crossing the I?s . The social structure of the Cathayan Republic is fairly obvious; whoever makes the most money is the boss. It is the most economically and technologically driven culture in the world at the moment. With so much competition on the market (the Cathayan republic being the most populated area in the world), progress has speeded up exponentially. The Cathayans are the people responsible for the creation of fully functional artificial limbs, the Ubshapti Battlesuits used in the Nubian Dominion, and a number of other world-changing inventions. Their greatest creation, however, is the simple data-slab, a sheet of crystal, powered by a simple battery, which can store untold information for an eternity, where books might crumble and turn to dust. The data slab is this reality?s answer to the computer, only faster and more compact, with any information inputted with a specially designed stylus.
The Cathayan republic is very diverse socially, accepting people of all races and origins equally, as long as they can pull their weight. The Cathayans also have a caste that is unique to them and them alone, as it is not based on age or experience or bloodline. These are the Eunuchs, men who have been castrated (rather brutally, in many cases) at a young age, to keep their feminine, childish characteristics. These people are often hired as advisors (most being of a much sounder and calmer mind than many other people of wither gender), or praised for the unearthly, ethereal tone of their singing voice. These people are often great singers, their music spreading widely across the world.
Individual cities or city sections in the Cathayan Republic are controlled by gangs, who often take a percentage of any profits in their territory. Many gangs, however, are ambitious, and this often leads to open gang wars, sometimes raging across entire cities before dissipating so each side can lick their wounds. Of all the people of the world, the Cathayans are the people most likely to use guns in the battles. Normal crime is handled by the ?Inspectors,? detectives and police officers continually undercover, often skilled in the ways of martial arts and the use of guns to bring down criminals.

The Cathayan underworld is a place of great sin and ice, with some dark, seedy den home to any one of your most sinful fantasies. These pits and nightclubs are often owned by the local gangs, and the higher ranked members often get free?service of the facilities. Nightclubs are everywhere in the Republic, and are not always simply for drinking and dancing. Many offer board and good food, for a price, with large rooms free from the noise below them, and are often a refuge for criminals. The music of the Republic is a mix of electronic noise, waling violin-esque sounds and the haunting tones of the most famous eunuch at the time, and the current fashion is tight fitting cloth suits with only a complex drawstring system at the front for access into or out of it, known as a bodyglove (or a full body corset by the more cynical), but many people find it too uncomfortable to wear, and so anything tight fitting is the general fashion. Sport-wise, there has been a great resurgence in the martial Arts as of late, and so many people train in one form or another, and tournaments are a great place for entertainment.

Any comments? Questions?

[DeadSeraphim]

[font=Arial][size=1][color=Indigo]Its actually considered very bad ettiquette to call them aborigines... I think the 'politically correct' term is aboriginals... but thats irrelevant to this discussion.

Okay, you've spoken of South America, but not really gone into much detail. It seems like you conveniantly glazed over the existence of the Aztecs and Incas, lol. Basically, the only reference I could glean from it was zealous religious practices (human sacrifice).

I like the way the Nipponese nation is so traditional, and how the honour system still works after thousands of years, but the only mention you made of any technology was in the Sumei matches and ninjas. Reading the description of the country I was given the distinct impression they were technologically retarded, lol.

The concepts of ninjas is a fun one, and you could work some interesting plot devices into an RP using them.

The Cathay country is intriguing, I like the way it is presented so technologically advanced and truly democratic initially, but then goes into detail about the gangs and its seedy underbelly.

Reading through the description for this one though, with its nightclubs, fashion and meaty descriptions of music, it just seemed to further reinforce that Nipponese is technologically retarded. I know this might not be the case, but thats how I read it, heh. [/color][/size][/font]

[James]

[color=#707875]Hehe, actually, "aboriginal" is an incorrect word. "Aborigine" is the right term. ~_^

Although in recent years, the political correctness surrounding the use of both terms seems to have almost totally disappeared. Today, people tend to use both terms.

The only real issue I have with the Australia reference is the natural resources question. Australia is rich in natural resources.

Other than that, there are no big issues. You mentioned that there was never a British Empire, which cancels out a lot of civilizations (including the United States of America and many others). So obviously that radically changes things.[/color]

[Gavin]

[SIZE=1]I have to admit that I'm really taken by the idea you're playing around with here, the effort and detail you've put into this is really quite impressive. There is just one thing that stood out at me that doesn't seem right, though it's probably something you have down intentionally.

The idea behind the Celtic State is well thought out but if it is indeed a Celtic State as you call it then it would more than likely hold it's main seat of power in either Scotland or Ireland as they were the main Celtic strongholds. It is of course your call but it was just something that stuck out at me, other than that I love the idea and can't wait to see the finished product in the Square.

(I hope you like that avatar since I was the one who designed it, and all the other Nature/Wildlife ones)[/SIZE]

[oshi]

I think that if you were to start this as an RPG, one thing that you would really need is a map. That way people can see where the boundaries are, and who owns what, and where everything is inrelation to everything else.

Otherwise, you'll just have people friggin' everywhere, forgetting all the time what goes where. :)

This sounds like an incredibly interesting idea, although I'm very interested in what the actual plot is going to be. Please, tell us more. ^^