Usagi Yojimbo: Ghosts and other Supernatural

In Seasons, two of the stores, A Promise in the Snow and The Obakeneko of the Geishu Clan bring forth the supernatural elements to the forefront of the Usagi setting.

In A Promise in the Snow, Usagi is doing his standard wanderings and comes across a merchant that has been attacked and is near the point of dying. From out of nowhere the merchant's daughter comes and collects a promise from Usagi that the wandering ronin will not let her father die.

This is one of the first times I remember going, "She's a ghost."  the tip off is when Usagi tells the father, who is stumbling in and out of consciousness, that the merchant's daughter will lead the way and he replies, "F-fum-chant? But... " Right there, perhaps because I've read so much Usagi recently, I knew it was going to involve the supernatural.

But it makes an interesting turn of things for a role playing perspective. The ghost doesn't do any harm to Usagi. She leads him to safety. She doesn't really help him, but she does guard her father. Too often in fantasy RPGs, the focus on the ghost is fighting the ghost and somehow putting it to rest, ususally doing something that involves further adventure. But what if the ghost has a specific short set mission and doesn't even know it's a ghost? The more subtle elements of the supernatural can be played up on that don't involve direct conflict to give the players a greater appreciation of the beyond.

In the Obakeneko, Usagi, Gen, and Tomoe are invited out of the cold weather only to be attacked by a supernatural entity. The three are victorious of course and latter learn the tale of the owner of the house. the thing I thought interesting, was the illusions of the house as being new and stately. There were little insights that might make one suspect something was wrong, like a lack of servants, but the idea of a stately manor being whole and sound...

When the entity is defeated, the illusion is dropped. This allows the GM to prsent a magnificent encounter local that is actually shambles. This can be overused though and the GM should try and keep track of how many times he does it.

Usagi continues to provide both character elements and moments of 'cool' that can easily be swapped for most fantasy role playing based games.

Usagi Yojimbo Seasons

Usagi Yojimbo Seasons is the last of the Usagi books that I did not own. I managed to snag it from Things From Another World, a web site vendor that actually sold it for less than the cover price at Amazon.com. Interestingly enough, all of the other sellers were selling it for massive amounts over the cover price. My order arrived in two days. Good deal all around.

Seasons has some points in it I'd consider weak. The use and reuse of certain elements, especially in fields of the supernatural, comes across a little too obvious. Good stuff for those who've never read the material before.

Before I ramble on too much, let's see what's inside eh?

The Withered Field: Stan does a fantastic job of introducing new characters. Here we are meet with Nakamura Koji. He is a master of the sword and a wanderer like Usagi himself. He was once a man who would teach the art of the sword but was soundly bested and went on the road to improve his skills. He's an important character for a few reasons.

One, he actually beats Usagi in a duel. While it's not cool to continuously shove the players face into the dirt, it doesn't hurt to remind them that there are still giants in the earth and that their power, as great as it is, may have equals or superiors out there.

Two, its a set up for a latter duel with Usagi's mentor. This doesn't happen until volume seventeen. Stan is able to build up different expectations in the in-between sequences and does a lot to promote things between Nakamura, Usagi, and Katsuichi.

Three, it gives the GM a chance to make Usagi look cool. You see, while Nakamura is out challenging schools, those schools don't like it necessarily and send out students to kill him. These are effectively minions and Usagi and Nakamura cut through them like butter. This allows the player to still showcase how powerful they are.

Four, it serves as a showcase of something beyond alignments. Nakamura accepted Usagi's help in a fight and then challenges him to a duel. What's up with that? It's Nakamura's motivation you see. He's not concerned necessarily with the good or evil of an action. He's concerned with being the best swordsman he can be. That motivation in and of itself is one that's used time and time again. Even with the manga character Guts from Berserk, before his battle against the supernatural, his main motivation was to become a great swordsman. Hell, it's the motivation of most players I know, to be the best in their field.

But are they really striving to be the best? Are they willing to give up creature comforts? To challenge friends? To issue challenges against anyone, regardless of their social status and ability? To take it on the road so to speak?

There are other bits of Seasons I'll get back to, but the idea of being the best, of having the motivation to throw away a past live, it strikes a powerful chord and is another useful thing to discuss with players. What is your motivation and what are you willing to do for it?

Witch Hunters

While I was at Half Priced books in Niles, I came across a Warhammer omnibus about a Witch Hunter. Now Warhammer is known for its portral of the Witch Hunter. They are religious zealots that will not suffer the abuse of magic or sorcerer and hunt down those things which use them.

Robert E. Howard was probably one of the first times I was introduced to such a concept through his character, Solomen Kane. Hell, there's even a Savage Worlds game in full color with a few supplements on him.

In short, the character concept is old and while it is often tied to Puritan views, its very existance in Warhammer tied to the man god Sigmar shows that the manner of transporting such an archetype is solid.

But what does that mean for an RPG? Well, outside of serving as an inspiration for a martial character that fights evil sorcery, consider the following:

The character is or at least practices some form of faith and often in a very narrow manner. This may lead to conflict with other party memebers. Such things are as classic as the half-orc assassin trying to adventure with the paladin who may not travel with known evil fellows from first edition though, so its not that much of a hurdle to overcome.

The character, being a member or at least knowing about the religion, may have ties to the church. The church is a massive organizaiton that generally has many small branches thoughout the land. And if Warhammer and history in general has shown us anything, it is that when the cat is away the mice will paly. Those places that are on the edge of empire or well nestled within full corruption may not actually appreciate the good work that such a witch hunter may do and actively seek to oppose him, to shield those the witch hunter would seek out. After all, what does a little necromancy matter if those who practice it still attend to the church and still donate most generously? Let these little things slide.

The character, being a hunter, is a known element and like any known element, may have his own detractors. Has the character ever killed the wrong person? Have any relatives sought to bring the character to their own version of justice? And of course, if the character has crossed paths with any of the more powerful forces, such as chaos or the undead, well, they might want to preemptive strike him so that he doesn't come after them.

The Witch Hunter is an interesting concept and I'm looking forward to digging into this Omnibus and looking over some of my Dark Horse Solomen Kane comics for further inspiration.

Usagi Yojimbo: The Brink of Life and Death

Let me hit some of the points here:

Kaiso: Usagi encounters a village of seaweed farmers but there is something odd going on with the other nearby village. Here Usagi is able, as an outside, to see where the true conflict lies. In addition, the author, Stan, is once again able to take something that seems small, seaweed farming, and make a story out of it. Not only that, but he does so in a way that's informative without being boring. If you can bring your setting to life in little ways like this, you're doing it right. Then again, it helps if the players are like Usagi and are willing to learn and explore the world about them.

A Meeting of Strangers: Usagi is always meeting 'the most interesting people' so to speak. In this case, he meets a woman swordmaster who showcases her skills by killing several bounty hunters. During that time though, a 'snitch' spots her and Usagi, who has made his own share of enemies. The stranger comes through and even saves Usagi's life. Intorducing NPCs into the game that the players want to learn more about can be tricky in that you don't want them to outshine the players in their fields but at the same time, if those NPCs don't stick around, they can make the players want to learn more about them.

Black Soul: Jei makes another apperance here. This would be considered an 'interlude' in some novels or comics in that it doesn't touch the main body of the story but at the same time, Jei has a huge role to play in upcoming events and by giving Jei his own 'sidekick', the author makes him more than just a mad killing machine. By giving the players a glimpse into what else is going on in the setting, the GM can set up anticipation for future encounters and events.

Noodles: This one has several factors going for it. A meeting with an old friend, a corrupt police officer who gets the wrong man for the wrong reason but that man is still a criminal. The use of irony in man-man karma and other bits. This is writing work at its strong points. Stan is able to weave continuity together with new elements and make the reader want to know what happens next. By having the problem be theft and having Usagi meet his old friend, the thief Kitsune, the reader automatically assumes that the rash of thef is caused by here.

Further reading however, shows that it's the corrupt official who winds up using Kitsune's accomplace, Noodles, as the fall guy. By doing this, the author switches the expectations around and sets up the officer for his own Karma based fall. Truly Stan must be a fan of such series as My Name is Earl.

Wrath of the Tangled Skein brings more of the supernatural to the forefront. Usagi fights a nue, a monster with the head of a monkey, a bager's body, tiger's legs, and a snake for a taile. Now mind you, the thing is about as big as a horse, not a badger. Usagi also battles a tanuki, a raccoon-like dog that is a shape changer trickster. These two monsters alone provide a suitible encounter with the nue acting as a 'brute' and the tanuki acting as a controler of sorts.

Usagi also meets Sanshobo, a priest that was a former warrior. Another character that will come to be more important as the series progresses. Despite being a former warrior however, Sanshobo doesn't cross over with Usagi's skill set in terms of swordskill or motivation. He's a priest that tends to specialize in fighting off possession.

Bats, The Cat, and the Rabbit brings more ninja warfare to Usagi. He meets another ally and fights against the bat ninja. It's another instance of trouble running into Usagi. It's important for me to keep these events in my mind because they are effectively random encounters that go beyond the single encounter. The chance meeting is the start of the actual adventure as opposed to just a onetime battle.

The Chrysanthemum Pass showcases Usagi as the do-gooder again. He happens to meet an older individual who is a disguised assassin. The use of disguise here is solid in that it allows the assassin to get in close to its target. The use of the mole ninjas however, allows the surprise to take a more dangerous form. These can make good encounter elements where the party is lead to an ambush point by what they take to be a friendly face only to find out that it is not.

Lightning Strikes Twice is the last story here and brings Usagi face to face with the female swordswoman who we learn calls herself Inazuma or lightning flash, for her speed with the blade. She is telling her tale almost as a warning to Usagi and her backstory, of being hunted for murdering a crime boss's son, comes into play as she continues to fight off disguised assassins and bounty hunters as well as where he travelling takes her.

Stan is able to use his visual style and storytelling skills to bring the setting to life. He is able to put Usagi against enemies that take a wide variety and prevent the sword scenes from being boring.  Stan brings forth new characters and uses older ones to keep the action moving forward. By expanding the setting, Stan keeps Usagi from becoming stale and keeps the setting fresh. When you think you're out of ideas, look at something mundane and ordinary and bring some opposition to it.

Usagi Yojimbo: Daisho

Usagi Yojimbo continues to make his presence known with this, the next reprint of the sold out volume nine.

For gaming purposes, let me consider the following:

1. Random Encounters that aren't hostile. While its always a good thing to keep the wandering random encounters packed to the gills with the dreaded and dangerous, sometimes you want to feed the players some of the setting and give them some more connection to the setting.

Here, Usagi meets a Komuso "monk of emptiness" that wears a tengai, a woven basket over his head and plays a shakuhachi, bamboo flute. The meeting between the two goes well and the reader is rewarded with a real feel for the character, caste, and style of the komuso.

2. If there is no body... I've mentioned it before, but Stan, the author of Usagi, is notorious in that if there is no body, the villain will be back. Here, one of the members of the 'Shi' group from the previous collection who was buried alive, makes his return. When the players overcome their foes, is there a way that would make it more entertaining for the game if that  villain's death wasn't so obvious and there was a chance of him coming back? If so, take it. If it'll feel like a cheap shortcut, ignore it.

3. Travel is tough. When the players are out and about, remind them of the simple pleasures of the towns. Things like being in an enclosed space, having people around, having water, heat, and a variety of food. Every time that Usagi comes to a town, even if its small and nameless, he's greatful because it means a chance to sleep inside on a bed.

4. Karma. Stan is a master of using karma to settle the score even when the Samurai rabbit isn't able to do so. These examples range from bully swordsmen making the mistake of challenging Usagi directly, to brothers backstabbing each other to make a gold claim. If you run a campaign and want the palyers to follow a certain style of gaming with a gentle hand, showcasing what happens to others in the setting can be a clear example of how the setting works moreso than just having a wandering paladin kill the drow assassin.

5. Slavery and Theft: I'll admit, that some things are easier to read about then to implement in a game. For example, making the players slaves. Usagi in his wanderings suffers the loss of his blades and his freedom from time to time but players, in my experience, generally don't take such loss well. Part of this might be the increasing complexity of game systems where everything from statistics and background abilities are designed to mesh into magic items and feats but part of it may just be the lack of freedom in a game about doing what you want. When using either slavery or outright theft, try to gauage how the players will handle it and if necessary use outside elements to end them if it goes against the grain of the group.

6. Not Everything Is As It Seems: Usagi gets to meet Stray Dog, another Ronin and another bounty hunter like his friend Gen. Stray Dog seems even more of an outlaw and rogue than Gen but when you look past that and see where he goes after the fighting is done, he doesnt' spend his winnings on himself, but rather on an orphanage. Something that may come along later to haunt the Stray Dog but in the meanwhile it acts as contrast to his stone cold killer bounty hunter persona.

7. Social Status: The society that Usagi comes from is very rigid in some of its aspects. Samurai are not peasants but that doesn't necessarily make them royalty. In today's politically correct world where everyone can be anything, the idea of social mobility is fairly ingrained despite the realities that most often people don't switch social classes. When allowing players to design their characters, see where their coming from, what they're trying to do.

There is no point in making a half-orc female paladin that strives against the social order and against stigma associated with half orcs, women, or half orc women being knights if none of those things are an issue. It doesn't mean mechanically the idea is unsound, but if the role playing reasons for selecting a certain combination don't apply, either have the character come from a reigion where they did apply or inform the player of the campaign's freedoms which ironically act as another type of character restriction.

Usagi Yojimbo: Shades of Death

The samurai rabbit has gone through some interesting times not only in his series, but in his publishing history. These stories collected by Dark Horse, originally appeared by another publisher which is a different publisher than the first seven volumes.

Regardless though, I'm here to touch on some of the story telling techniques that I try to remind myself of here.

1. Bring the conflict to the characters. Usagi and Gen are walking down the road and bam! Attacked by dreaded ninajs and they have to figure out what's going on.

2. Don't be afraid to use the popular stuff. It's popular for a reason. During this time period, Usagi teams up with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It's something that's happend a few times and I believe even happened on the carton. The point though for a game? If the players love to hate drow, use them. If they love to hate the undead, use them. Find out what the players want to see in the game and bring it out.

3. Throw the history or feel of the setting into the small things. One of the short stories is about Jizo, a road side statue that has its own history and feel to it. In the brief pages that the author gives it, you get the geist of what the purpose is for but the author also provides you with some notes at the end of the book in case you want more information. Bringing details to the players through third parties is an old stand by, but don't be afraid to give a specific player information and ask them to share it. This lessens the load on the GM and allows the other players to take part of the world building activity.

4. Make the Villains Cool. Usagi fights a group of four named Shi that spell their name with the death character. They come off as very bad ass with unique styles and attitudes but Usagi being the star here, kills them in variosu ways.  The more powerful, legendary, and overall awesome your monsters and villains are, the greater the heroes the players are when they overcome them.

Shades of Death has some flash back sequences and some other bits, such as the use of the language to illustrate the setting, but overall, the above four things are what I'll be thinking of when trying to crib notes from how and why Usagi Yojimbo has worked for decades.

Happy Holidays aka Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

My first day off in some odd two weeks. I've got a few things that I've got almost ready for posting. Some bits on good old Usagi Yojimb, as I managed to snag volumes eight and nine, as well as some thoughts on various short stories from a Mammoth Book of Sorcerers Tales.

But for today, it's another guys birthday and where I'm at, we tend to celebrate it and wish warm thoughts and good health and life on those around us.

Enjoy your holidays!