5e D&D// Smutty Lighthearted Jidaigeki

[sexomancy]

This thread is to check interest in a campaign of 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons centered around historical Japan. The intent is to use real world history and folklore to shape the setting, with heavy influence from class films and fiction of the genre. Player Characters will all be human by necessity, but various character conventions fit nicely with many D&D classes and backgrounds. All the staples of a western-influenced fantasy world are found here, such as roadside inns, dangerous bands of brigands, devious plotting aristocrats, grizzled bounty hunters, guile assassins, cunning thieves, devout monks, holy priests, and of course the supernatural dangers of Yokai (ghosts) and the hundreds of Kami (deities) spread throughout the land.

I have nothing concrete determined yet. I feel if I were to DM this, I would need to do a great deal of reading and research in preparation. As an ignorant American, I have only touched the surface of the material. I do know I wish to set the campaign in the Edo period, which means the presence of primitive firearms, but also the prevalence of ronin, and the uprising of organized crime among the gamblers. I wish to make this a decidedly smutty campaign, with plenty of opportunities for players to fuck each other, and many suitable NPC's. I'm not shy on what you find in a lot of hentai-- I have a preference for big tits, big cocks, and excessive sexual fluids-- and perversion comes naturally to the stories I like to write.

I'm not terribly big on Dark Themes. I don't enjoy writing Bad Ends, and I'm not comfortable with Monster Sex or any kind of Bestiality. I understand this is a huge appeal to many D&D players in the ERP community, but it's not something I share with them.

If you're interested, please feel free to post in this thread. I'd be more comfortable if I had a player or co-DM who is more versed in the history I am, but I'm also up to the challenge of tackling it myself. I've been played 5e D&D for many years now, I've run games IRL and online, and I have a glut of free time to devote to the role playing hobby. I'll answer any questions and concerns you might have.

If you want, you can message me on Discord @jimbobalinski#8377

[ApexScribbler]

Hmm. I am not that familiar with the setting, unfortunately, but it does sound fascinating to play in. Count me in as interested if this picks up steam. I have been playing D&D for a few years and 5e has been my favorite edition thus far so I'm always looking for opportunities to play. Thinking of a gruff, no-nonsense swordmaster with a tragic background or something similar.

[sexomancy]

Thinking of a gruff, no-nonsense swordmaster with a tragic background or something similar.

This is feudal Japan. Everyone has a tragic backstory. Living happily ever after is no acceptable among polite society, but that doesn't mean this campaign won't maintain its lighthearted tone. What I'm looking for is stubborn brightness amid a sea of dark clouds, if that makes any sense.

A "sword master" would have to be a samurai, which is a retainer of a daimyo, or lord. The Edo period takes place after the Sengoku (Warring States) period, where the Tokugawa Shogunate (Military Dictatorship) managed to enforce peace upon the entire nation. Naturally, when you suddenly stop the endless civil wars among clans, the bushi (warriors) no longer have a profession to rely on. Strict followers of Bushido remained loyal to their lords until death. Many committed seppuku (Ritualistic Suicide) after their lord's defeat in battle, while others became ronin (Wave Men) as masterless samurai. They plied their trade as yojimbo (bodyguards), bounty hunters, assassins, and mercenaries, while common foot soldiers and less reputable bushi became bandits.

There is an awful lot of nonsense in Bushido. For instance, proving your honor is often something worth killing over. The only acceptable answer to failure is often suicide. A samurai, ronin or otherwise, who does not like the pointless aspects of Bushido may find himself an outcast among his peers, and a rude ingrate among his betters.

I encourage you to watch the films Yojimbo and Sanjuro to get an idea of a "gruff, no nonsense swordmaster" for the period. Beyond that, it might be worth a cursory glance over a few wikipedia articles to familiarize yourself with the setting and your intended role.

If you have further questions you can PM me or ask them here-- I don't mind!

[ApexScribbler]

Going to withdraw my interest from this, just a bit too much research for my liking.

[Zaer Darkwail]

Just a suggestion you could open up tieflings, aasimars or some other races if they would fit the lore. For example, there are tales of men born out of kitsune having mystical powers (look human but are likely sorcerers example) and many gods/spirits/yokai had affairs with mortals and that led to the birth of people touched by their supernatural parent. Examples of this are hanyou's. Ofc there is not much lore support for say dwarves (unless making them hanyou related to earth/mountain related youkai).

[sexomancy]

Just a suggestion you could open up tieflings, aasimars or some other races if they would fit the lore. For example, there are tales of men born out of kitsune having mystical powers (look human but are likely sorcerers example) and many gods/spirits/yokai had affairs with mortals and that led to the birth of people touched by their supernatural parent. Examples of this are hanyou's. Ofc there is not much lore support for say dwarves (unless making them hanyou related to earth/mountain related youkai).

I think that defeats the purpose of making the supernatural elements removed from the party. Ghosts and monsters are supposed to be otherworldly, an unknown threat lurking in the darkness. To make a player half yokai makes the player a part of that other world, with a direct familial connection. I also think tieflings, aasimar, genasi, and other races are overused. If your character isn't interesting as a human, they're not going to be interesting with the addition of horns. D&D is a tool to be used and abused to achieve the narrative I'm looking for.

[ShadowFox89]

Honestly, for a game like this, I would probably suggest L5R instead.

[Miroque]

There is th thing called " Legend of the Five Rings " RPG... Its way better system (in generally, and for Forum Game) and it is s into Fantasy Japan.... full and rich background materials, lore and such.
Worth of reading even if not using the system itself.

[Thufir Hawat]

Eh, if you're going to recommend other systems, he's better off reading Sengoku Revised by Gold Rush Games !
L5R is more popular, but draws inspiration from many, many places in Asia, some of which don't really fit a Japan-inspired game, IMO.
OTOH, Sengoku is related to the Sengoku period of Japan, which is much closer to jidaigeki's typical Edo era. In Early Edo, most facts of life wouldn't have changed yet.

When it comes to a system, however, the best one that I've een for this kind of game would be Usagi Yojimbo (the version by Sanguine). Yes, the system assumes talking animals, being based on a manga, but the mechanics basically don't put much stock in this, other than tying some starting Gifts to the species. That's actually good emulation, since the manga itself would probably be best described as a mix between Musashi and Yojimbo .
And the setting material mentions explicitly the rift between the power of the emperor and the shogun, and other conflicts of the time. Even though the main character is a rabbit, and the ninja tend to be cats and foxes!

[sexomancy]

When it comes to a system, however, the best one that I've seen for this kind of game would be Usagi Yojimbo (the version by Sanguine). Yes, the system assumes talking animals, being based on a manga, but the mechanics basically don't put much stock in this, other than tying some starting Gifts to the species. That's actually good emulation, since the manga itself would probably be best described as a mix between Musashi and Yojimbo .
And the setting material mentions explicitly the rift between the power of the emperor and the shogun, and other conflicts of the time. Even though the main character is a rabbit, and the ninja tend to be cats and foxes!

That's funny, I was inspired by reading the entirety of Usagi Yojimbo to start this campaign, but I forgot there was a TTRPG based on it. The only gripe I have with the setting is that it's furry, and that it deliberately goes out of its way to eliminate firearms from Japan after the Dragon Bellows Conspiracy. I'll give the book a read if I can get my hands on a scan, though I wanted to stick with D&D because it's the system I'm most familiar with, and the setting already lends itself to so many conventions set by the culture and fiction around D&D.

[Velatha]

I would like to plant a little flag of interest here.  Hoping to see what it can turn into and may start thinking of possible character ideas.

[Elven Sex Goddess]

Interested with  idea of a Onna-bugeisha