Actual Play – Kazumichi’s Honor (6/8/2009)

GM: Travis Lindquist
System: L5R

We had a player leaving the game, leaving the area in fact. Next Saturday he moves to Texas and the odds that we’ll see him again outside of Facebook are slim. So, in honor of his departure, his character would be written out of the story, in one epic manner or another.

The storyteller started the game announcing that this game would focus around Kazumichi and his father Dohi Naomi, specifically defending their honor. Some sake merchant named Yasuki Onida was blackmailing him and if word got out, it would bring great shame to his family. At the start of the game he set the stakes.

You win: your father leaves the story (either through honorable seppuku or by shaving his head and becoming a monk) and Doji Kazumichi takes over as head of his holdings. A great honor.
You fail: Naomi is convicted of treason and you either die dishonorably (leaving your family name stained) or becoming a ronin (also leaving your family name stained).

Pretty hefty stakes, but considering the character had to leave the game one way or another, it was fitting. As we played, the storyteller kept wrapping other elements in the game into the final stakes, so that more and more was on the line.

The game opened with Kazumichi talking to a Yasuki merchant, where he learned the name Onida and found that he was the owner of a very disreputable sake house named the Scorpion’s Mask, located just outside of Toshi Ranbo. After this scene it was determined that if Kazumichi succeeded, the Yasuki would become his new sake merchant and take good care of him. If he failed the merchant would become involved and be killed as part of the fallout. The stakes get higher.

Following up on this Kazumichi tells Mirumoto Al-Salin about this sake house and Al-Salin does what any honorable samurai would, he straps on his armor (but no katana as that had been given away) and starts heading for the sake house to find out about this dishonorable man. As he relies on Kakita Shimzu’s advice in many ways, he asked the Kakita to come along, joined by Kazumichi as well. The Mask, as expected was horribly dishonorable. So much so that much of the debauchery escaped Al-Salin. It was so horrific he just couldn’t comprehend most of it. Outside a man was dressed as Daigotsu, inside a mockery was made of all the clans, and heimin were cast about as toys for the decedent pleasures of whoever had to coin to afford them. As Al-Salin did not have his Katana he was led into one half of the establishment, the Crane, who were armed into the other.

Mirumoto saw many things that disturbed him. There was a puny man, dressed in crab colors but who bore no resemblance to the members of his clan. He was of course, like the rest of this place, a mockery of the celestial order. Al-Salin spoke with him, gaining no information about the proprietor, but settled on drinking a tea that was shared between Rokugan and Gaijin land. Yea, he got high on opium. I have no idea what being on opium is like, but I know people use it to sooth pain, so I imagine it is a sedative. Also, I thought vague hallucinations would be appropriate, so I described him seeing two people standing right next to each other as a two headed monster. As I shouted at them and banished the abomination they were cleaved into two parts, which both walked away. That was fun times for me, though possibly trying on the other characters. Mirumoto’s reputation was now on the line. Fail and word of his experience with the opium would get out. Win and no one would speak of it.

On the “dangerous” side, Doji Kazumichi spotted a guard that was supposed to be hidden, though one can hardly imagine how that was possible. The man was enormous, a mountain of a man with gigantic muscles and brutal looking staff, shod in metal and tipped with bone crushing studs. It was clear that he was watching over the establishment. Doji spoke with him asking to talk to the owner and a Bayushi in full armor appeared to speak on his behalf. The Bayushi was disdainful to Kazumichi, openly accusing his father of all the crimes that he was being blackmailed with. He took a particular hatred, however for Kakita Shimizu, calling him only by his given name and dishonoring him at every turn. Shimizu did not recognize the man, but that was no matter, he would cut him down just the same to stay his lying tongue. Here and now, with an inebriated Mirumoto and the rest of the sapphire magistrates away, was not the time to start a fight. That would come later…

Here is the later…

All the sapphire magistrates convened at a sake house and spoke of the matter. It was clear that we must make a bold move against the Yasuki. We suggested that Doji bring the matter to the Yasuki’s lord and have him put on charges for blackmail. That of course, would make his father’s affair very public. Next we suggested that if this was a personal matter, he request a duel from the Daimyo, but Kazumichi shied away from that idea as well. He wanted to keep this discrete. Kakita Shimzu’s sake house, the one we were drinking in, now it was on the line as well. Fail and it gets burned down. Win and he keeps it.

Our Ikoma, the one we rescued. Yeah, apparently, he is good with discreet. He asked to speak to Doji Naomi about his “books”. After breaking the seal (and thus involving himself in the Doji’s affair) our Ikoma found the books had been altered to incriminate him. He also found some of the Doji’s misdeeds and did some blackmailing of his own. If exonerated Doji Naomi would rename a city the Sapphire’s Honor and make a port that was always open to the Sapphire Magistrates, if we failed, the Ikoma would be muddled up in the affairs of our enemies and they would be after him.

Afterwords father and son had a private meeting and agreed that the Yasuki’s lying mouth must be silenced. Kazumichi ensured that his father’s honor would be protected. To do this, however, he needed to endanger enlist the rest of his magistrates. Sodano Skiko was the easiest to convince. Gullible and Idealistic, he was like clay in the master sculptor’s hand. Claiming that the phantoms Al-Salin claimed to see where real, he convinced Sodano that the only way to purge this taint was to burn down the building… and he procured some gaijin pepper to accomplish as much. The Doji thought Isawa would be a harder fish to catch but the Earth Shugenja saw Sodano’s faith in him and went along willingly.

Doji arranged for the Phoenix to accompany him back to the Scrorpion’s Mask. He was able to gain entry and the Pheonix began to rain the fires of heaven (actually the Fires of Osano-wo and Gaijin pepper, but close enough) down on the sake house. Our Ikoma meanwhile, in dark pajamas did his best impersonation of a ninja, taking out the guards that we did not see. The rest of the magistrates arrived moments later seeing our companions in battle (not knowing who started it) and joined in. Down below a great skirmish was fought between the guards and the heroes. Above Kazumichi stormed through the burning building until he found the Yasuki. The man was no great warrior, or even a mastermind courtier, but just a fat old man caught up in machinations bigger than himself. He was accompanied by a woman with a stern demeanor who was more than happy to watch Kazumichi cut him down. Afterwards she told him that he had just killed the only man who could redeem his father. She make the same offer but only if he would become her next subject. Doji Kazumichi saved his father’s honor, but lost his own that night.

The story ended with a weak woman staggering out of the Mask, stumbling to the ground and begging the bushi to stay their blades. Weakly she said “please wait. I am samurai.”

What rocked

Giving the player a grand exit like this was cool. He had a real “tribute” episode, which I appreciate. Made me think if spotlights in PTA.

Folding all of our character’s fates into one conflict was great. We were all interested because our own honor, or drinking house, or reputation, or whatever was on the line.

The final fight, thought we didn’t roll it out, was quite cool. Honestly, I doubt we would have had as cool a narrative if we use the dice.

The storyteller’s description of the Scorpion’s Mask was great. We all really reviled the patron by the time Doji faced him.

Bringing the Kolat in was cool. I’d like to see more of them.

What could have been improved.

I never, for a second, believed we would fail. So even though more and more kept getting put on the line, that just made me all the more assured that we would win. In fact, we never really learned the “win condition” but killing the Yasuki, making a deal with the Kolat and burning down the place seemed to satisfy it. I’m not sure what the best solution would have been, but I think it would have been great to see Doji trading in stakes to get what he wants. For example: Of all the things on the line, he’s got to start giving them up to progress. Will Mirumoto’s shame be spread? Well, I’d rather not… but I can’t go further without letting that leak… so okay I give that up and progress. This way we’d all be wondering… what is he going to give up next? Will it be the thing I care about? Maybe that would feel too much like one player was hurting the others and could have hurt feelings. Not sure.

I really didn’t’ see a solution other than “let’s go burn down the building”. I think the storyteller would have been open to other ideas but we didn’t come up with any (except ones we knew the Doji wouldn’t follow because of the public dishonor he’d face), so in the end it came down to “kick down the door and kill them all.” I would have really liked to see an actual courtier duel between Doji, Yasuki and/or the Kolat lady. Something where some exposition could have happened and maybe we had other paths to take. The choice we made was fun, but it didn’t feel in keeping with our characters. (I mean really, how many of them really think its okay to commit breaking and entering, mass murder, arson, destruction of propery, etc.) We lost s lot of honor by following this approach, which I thought was good (we should lose honor for doing that), but I kept thinking “I wish I was playing a character who could have found a better way to do this”.

18 thoughts on “Actual Play – Kazumichi’s Honor (6/8/2009)”

  1. I never, for a second, believed we would fail.

    You didn’t? I did! But then you guys went for the direct approach, burn the building down, which virtually insured success simply because succeeding is failing and that’s so much more interesting!

    Think about it…a group of young samurai, 1/3 of which are idealistic, ride out in the middle of the night and, ok corral style, get into this big ass fight! Now, Jeremy worked it so that none of you are going to be asked to commit sepuku, but still!

    I really didn’t’ see a solution other than “let’s go burn down the building”.

    Hmm, would you have liked a GM intervention here? I’m always open to giving suggestions, if people asked. But I also think the player in question WANTED to burn down the building, otherwise I would have thrown out some other options.

    but I kept thinking “I wish I was playing a character who could have found a better way to do this”.

    Speaking of GM suggestions…Mirumoto-san lost a ton of honor here, and his idealistic sense is going to kick in in overdrive saying, ‘wtf? what just happened here!’ In looking back, he might realize that there were intermediate paths between highly honorable and just barely more honorable than the people you were destroying. He might also realize that he doesn’t see them and that he needs help to do so. If he comes to that realization, it might be time for Mirumoto to seek a yojimbo, a ronin companion, or some servants. If he picks the right ones, they can do it for him!

    1. Hmm, would you have liked a GM intervention here? I’m always open to giving suggestions, if people asked. But I also think the player in question WANTED to burn down the building, otherwise I would have thrown out some other options.

      You’re probably right. I think Doji did want to burn the place down. Personally I really didn’t like the idea (both in and out of character), but a) it was his spotlight and I didn’t want to steal his thunder and b) I was personally at a loss for other options. So, I’m not sure what should have been changed, if anything. I think if you gave out some other possibilities, it might have helped or it might have fostered analysis paralysis as the players argued over different options. As is the game was running late, so the “burn it down” solution was probably the best one, just not on I was happy with. Oh well, that happens.

      Speaking of GM suggestions…Mirumoto-san lost a ton of honor here, and his idealistic sense is going to kick in in overdrive saying, ‘wtf? what just happened here!’ In looking back, he might realize that there were intermediate paths between highly honorable and just barely more honorable than the people you were destroying. He might also realize that he doesn’t see them and that he needs help to do so. If he comes to that realization, it might be time for Mirumoto to seek a yojimbo, a ronin companion, or some servants. If he picks the right ones, they can do it for him!

      Thank you for this. I’ve been trying to figure out how to juggle a very intelligent (Intelligence 4) and idealistic (read ‘naive’) character, and have for the most part settled on playing a character who assumes that everyone follows the code of Bushido according to their station, and those that don’t need to be shown the how, through words and example if possible, but by the sword if not.

      What ended happening in that game is I stopped doing what I think Mirumoto should have done and I went along with a) what the story needed to progress and b) what the Doji needed to succeed. In retrospect, as a player I would have felt much more true to Mirumoto if I had objected from the very beginning. “We’re not entering that place of ill repute. We’re calling his lord and having the man charged where we will testify against him. It is the word of the Sapphire Magistrates against a glorified merchant, one who makes nothing, sells corruption and reeks like and Eta. Justice will be served.” Even if the Doji said “no way in hell am I going to do that” and stuck to his plans, I would have felt better if I at least made an objection. It was a matter of trying to balance personal satisfaction with group fun. Any my general rule is “that’s what my character would do” is just an ass-hat excuse if it is used to step on another player’s (or all the player’s) fun.

      That said, Mirumoto keeps trying to turn to the worldlier Kakita for advice in areas that he is ignorant of. So far this has had limited success. I think that is in part because the player just doesn’t know what you have up your sleeve either, so isn’t always able to give advice on how to proceed. So an NPC that could act as a “common sense” trait, someone to make Mirumoto question his first instinct would be good. Either because they are so rash that it makes Mirumoto see the foolishness in himself in the NPC (a ronin would probably work well for this) or if they were very wise and could give Mirumoto guidance when he hit trouble times (an Ise Zume might fill this roll well). Either way, I like the idea of having an NPC that would help ground Mirumoto’s naturally fiery temperament.

      1. You could also go for a pragmatic ally of the Dragon, like one of the Scorpion. Or even an Agasha or Asako could help too.

        In particular, the Agasha would be a great one for alerting you to possibilities. Their family mon is a dragon encircling a pomegranate, which is a fruit of potential (open it up, many seeds, each with many possibilities)

    2. Wow, this is getting long, and I’ve still got more to go…

      I remember in 1st edition when you lost honor to someone, it was expected that you would lay prostrate before them and beg forgiveness, calling yourself no better than an Eta, unworthy, etc. Is that still a practice? If so, Mirumoto definitely will be making a round of apologies for his recent behavior. First, to the Matsu. The lines will be something like “I am so sorry for my actions . If you had not incited me with your anger, I would have never .” With the hope being that I could give her an honorable and sincere apology that would also piss her off. Next, he would apologize to either the Yasuki’s lord, Tsurichi Nadu, or the Daimyo of Toshi Ranbo (not sure who he should talk to but I’d make a Law roll to guess/declare if necessary).

      He’s also going to become much more wary of drinking in excess or accepting drinks from people he does not know. I think it will be appropriate for him to wake from an opium hangover (if such a thing exists) and quote Shinsei’s story of the frog and scorpion.

        1. Cool, even if not, he’s still going to go around and take responsability for his actions. Courage. Duty. Man, Al-Salin is a terrible Sapphire Magistrate. He has no idea how to keep his mouth shut.

          1. Finally getting caught up on LJ. :p

            I don’t recall that being a definite thing in 1st ed. You can always grovel to try avoiding a duel if you’ve insulted someone’s honor. You’ll tend to lose honor there since it’s cowardly.

            A sincere apology to smooth over a misunderstanding (real or imagined) that led to someone feeling their honor was insulted helps save face all around.

            If you’ve done something stupid in front of someone of much higher status? By all means grovel. You may still lose honor, but at least you’re showing cognizance of your lowly place in the Celestial Order there.

            If *you’ve* done something dishonorable, grovelling will just lose you more. It’s an embarrassing public display, much like running around drunk. Proper samurai will try to ignore the display, but you’ll still gain a reputation for it. Basically the grovelling makes the person you’re grovelling to uncomfortable and they’d like to get away from you post haste…but they can’t really cut off your apology to punish you. So it tends to be “yes, ok, that’s great, don’t do that shit again…or come near me you worm.”

            Apology with a backhand that doesn’t incite a duel = using your social skills–Sincerity or Courtier depending. That’s the kind of thing I’d definitely recommend adding a roll for, because it’s otherwise easy to simply spend forever seeing who can out-clever the other with their speeches. And it’s fatally easy to slip up there. (recalling last official WC and a seppuku over accidentally managing to say something that could be construed as comparing the Imperial Chancellor to a fishmonger. There was a ton of ooc crap going on too…but that was the fatal slip.)

          2. Hmm… I must have be mis-remembering. It’s been a long time since I played 1st and I’m probably taking some example out of context.

            On that note, have any recommendations for having a really hateful, steamy and dishonorable affair with a Matsu?

            There is a strong bit of story manipulation I’m trying to do here (which might ultimately backfire on me) in that I’m trying to establish two women that Mirumoto cares about, his wife and his lover, from the Lion and the Unicorn clan. The goal is that when the Emperor calls the Dragon to wage war on both the Lion and the Unicorn at the Battle of the Rich Frog, I’d really like to see Mirumoto have to choose his love, and in doing so probably lose both of them.

            Mirumoto has already fallen in love with the Utaka (at the Topaz Championship) and will very likely marry her. It’s the Matsu that I can’t figure out how to make him realistically fall for her (and have it be reciprocated). I’m think really mad sex that always starts with a fight. In the previous session, he first dueled, then had a fist fight then started a public orgy with the same Matsu. But you know… that isn’t the kind of trick you can pull off every time.

            So… in a much shorter version of the question. Any dating advice for Rokugan?

          3. Dating advice for Rokugan=discretion. :p

            Basically, that society agrees that marriages are for a particular purpose–and it isn’t love, or anything else touchy-feely. So it’s almost expected that there will be dalliances, expected that samurai will go see geisha to unwind and talk about how they’ve had such a hard day, etc. Because their spouse isn’t expected to be the one providing for a lot of those needs.

            That said, your spouse loses all kinds of face if such a relationship becomes known about. And you lose all kinds of honor.

            Consciously developing a love affair with a fierce Matsu and what sounds very much like a love/hate thing. The fact that a fight led to sex makes that a very likely conduit. If they’re both at the sake house after a fierce battle? There’s that death and sex thing, alcohol, and previous contact to create another tryst. If both of them ‘keep meeting like this,’ (after a battle, competition, duel, etc.), some kind of relationship is likely to develop–respect at least. You can respect a hated enemy who holds their own and sticks to their own code of honor, for example. That’s a place to start from.

            Hell, that compliment with a backhand? Flubbing it a bit may prove useful if she’s the kind of Matsu who will respect you smashing her face in a duel, but will sneer at being bested by ‘flowery chickenshit courtier tricks’.

            So possible encounters besides the running into each other after a battle: Both being stuck at court and commiserating in the garden, or over sake after the day’s duties are done? One or the other of you running across the other in a skirmish of some sort–particularly if help isn’t actually needed. Stuck somewhere at the same time with time to kill and both heading to the dojo for some practice at the same time. Stuck on a boat…you’re headed out to city x and her superiors happen to have her assigned there for the next season so someone called in a favor to get her there quickly on your ship. Between possible attacks at sea and people finding something to do during the long boring stretches between those, there’s opportunity.

  2. The storyteller’s description of the Scorpion’s Mask was great. We all really reviled the patron by the time Doji faced him.

    Sunnysmilixer(I think) noted to me at one point recently, ‘yup, the players are horrified, good job.’ and made some similar remark when I got home.

    I need to get better at intermediate bad guys, bad guys due to circumstance. I’m really good at vile, debauched, sadistic villains that are villains because their mind says they are right. I think I stay away from the trope of characters that realize they are evil and WANT to be evil. Had he been asked, Yasuki would have just said he was trying to make money. But yeah, I need to get better at people that are ‘bad guys’ but not really.

    The final fight, thought we didn’t roll it out, was quite cool. Honestly, I doubt we would have had as cool a narrative if we use the dice.

    How’d you like my seat of the pants rules about narrating death?

    I was disappointed that there weren’t more cosmetic injuries, but other than that, yeah, it was fun.

    Bringing the Kolat in was cool. I’d like to see more of them.

    I heart the Kolat. Do you want explanations,out of game (and probably after game) about when a Kolat operative did something?

    1. I think the kind of villain you create depends on the response you want from the players. If you want the “This guy is so evil, we’re going to kill him” then by all means, display total disdain for Bushido, piss in our collective faces and we’ll want to kill him dead. You can frustrate the players by making him untouchable (e.g. someone high ranking who pretends to have honor), but we’ll still want him dead.

      If you want a villain that confuses us though I think you have to show them doing something right, possibly several times, and then reveal that the reason they are doing in make sense but totally betray Bushido. You know, some crab that hunts the creatures of the shadowland to stomp out Maho and we think he’s all great, until we realize that he’s tainted himself and sees demons in every corner. Someone we’ll respect but eventually have to stop because they go too far and cannot be convinced to stop because they believe so much in a cause that ostensibly is a noble one.

      Personally I’m happy with either variety and I think a mix of them is probably good. I try to go for the latter kind of villain in my game but I’m not very good at doing it and (as I posted about Brighton before) I find the players end up seeing his as one dimensionally evil anyway.

    2. I was disappointed that there weren’t more cosmetic injuries, but other than that, yeah, it was fun.

      I agree, I tried to pepper mine with getting thrashed around a lot, but not much lasting came out of it. My kimono is gone, but that wasn’t really important. Mirimoto’s hair however, was a gorgeous cascade of black, like silk down to his shoulders. Now, that’s gone. One the fence about whether he should just have very short hair or shave it off all together and look like a monk until it grows back in.

      Do you want explanations, out of game (and probably after game) about when a Kolat operative did something?

      Hellz yeah.

        1. Yeah, that was the idea. Figured it might be fun to make even the Ize Zume raise an eyebrow, but didn’t know if it was considered dishonorable to shave if you aren’t a monk (at least not one yet).

          1. Compared to wearing a ragged haystack of poorly cut hair?

            I would say there’s no issue with it. Original art of Mirumoto Hitomi shows her bald (part of visually portraying her essential severity).

            Also, what would happen to the poor men with pattern baldness? Retirement at 25 if they bald fast? :p

            Get a commemorative tattoo there and you even have an excuse for shaving it down and letting it grow back. Plus confusing folks about your nature even more until it grows in.

  3. I was about to comment that this post must be popular because it keeps growing in posts…

    Then I saw that it was just us 3 l5r nuts posting repetitively. lol.

    1. Yeah, I tend to turn LJ posts into conversations if there is anyone interested, and in this case you and lyahdan have both been giving awesome feedback, so I’m inclined to respond.

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