Is there a ninja professoin in Runequest?

[Mongoose Pete]

Sweet. Is this going to be a setting of it's own, or part of Glorantha?

I believe it will be a stand alone historical setting akin to Games Workshop's Land of Ninja, but of course better researched and with improved rules... Won't it Loz?*

*Standing poised one pace behind and to the left, with katana drawn...

 

[Rasta]

I believe it will be a stand alone historical setting akin to Games Workshop's Land of Ninja

That's what I was hoping.

 

[Loz]

Sweet. Is this going to be a setting of it's own, or part of Glorantha?

I believe it will be a stand alone historical setting akin to Games Workshop's Land of Ninja, but of course better researched and with improved rules... Won't it Loz?*

*Standing poised one pace behind and to the left, with katana drawn...

I thought 'Land of Ninja' was pretty good. Written by Bob Charette of 'Bushido' fame, after all.

Lot of work to do on this one...

 

[Rasta]

Good to hear that Loz is on it. Thanks Loz. :wink:

 

[Mage]

Is this going to be purely historical, or will there be a fantasy element similar to video games such as Onimusha?

 

[CthulhuFnord]

Land of the Ninja was an awsome supplement. I managed to get a used box edition several years back. I'm still meaning to snag the old RQ Vikings as well.

Sweet. Is this going to be a setting of it's own, or part of Glorantha?

I believe it will be a stand alone historical setting akin to Games Workshop's Land of Ninja, but of course better researched and with improved rules... Won't it Loz?*

*Standing poised one pace behind and to the left, with katana drawn...

I thought 'Land of Ninja' was pretty good. Written by Bob Charette of 'Bushido' fame, after all.

Lot of work to do on this one...

 

[Loz]

Is this going to be purely historical, or will there be a fantasy element similar to video games such as Onimusha?

Oh there'll be a strong mythic element. The Japanese, even now, are hugely engaged by myth. I'd hesitate to call it fantasy because what I'll most likely be doing is plundering the rich sources of Japanese myths and bringing those into the fore.

It's been done before, of course, in games like Bushido, Sengoku and Lot5R, so I'm hoping to find a different slant.

Work starts on this very soon.

 

[duncan_disorderly]

I'd hesitate to call it fantasy because what I'll most likely be doing is plundering the rich sources of Japanese myths and bringing those into the fore.

It's been done before, of course, in games like Bushido, Sengoku and Lot5R, so I'm hoping to find a different slant.

This all sounds like excellent news, and mixing the above named games with RQ to take the best elements of each and create an exciting new blend is also a great idea (Bushido is the great grand-daddy of Japanese RPG's with most other games drawing inspiration from it either implicitly or explicitly)

Just to ask you another question you either may not have considered yet, or if you have, may not be in a position to answer...

Do you plan to set the game in a mytho-historical Japan (a la Bushido/Sengoku) or in a new land just drawing on Japanese (and maybe other far-eastern cultures) themes (a la L5R or Oriental Adventures)?

 

[Loz]

I'd hesitate to call it fantasy because what I'll most likely be doing is plundering the rich sources of Japanese myths and bringing those into the fore.

It's been done before, of course, in games like Bushido, Sengoku and Lot5R, so I'm hoping to find a different slant.

This all sounds like excellent news, and mixing the above named games with RQ to take the best elements of each and create an exciting new blend is also a great idea (Bushido is the great grand-daddy of Japanese RPG's with most other games drawing inspiration from it either implicitly or explicitly)

Just to ask you another question you either may not have considered yet, or if you have, may not be in a position to answer...

Do you plan to set the game in a mytho-historical Japan (a la Bushido/Sengoku) or in a new land just drawing on Japanese (and maybe other far-eastern cultures) themes (a la L5R or Oriental Adventures)?

Japan. Definitely. It's rich enough for adventure and doesn't need a brand new analogue creating.

 

[duncan_disorderly]

Not to mention there should be prerequisites, such as movement and a size. I don't care what the argument is, a troll will never become a ninja. They just smell to bad and are way to big to move silently.

Hopefully the UZ book due out this week will disabuse you of this preconception before the Blue Moon Assassins reach you.

A troll ninja, in his silent lead armour, hidden inside his bound shade as his giant insect steed carries him along the tops of walls or along ceilings can be a real threat - Don't be fooled by the Zorak ZOran beserkers into thinking that is all a Troll can be..

 

[soltakss]

Not to mention there should be prerequisites, such as movement and a size. I don't care what the argument is, a troll will never become a ninja. They just smell to bad and are way to big to move silently.

Hopefully the UZ book due out this week will disabuse you of this preconception before the Blue Moon Assassins reach you.

A troll ninja, in his silent lead armour, hidden inside his bound shade as his giant insect steed carries him along the tops of walls or along ceilings can be a real threat - Don't be fooled by the Zorak ZOran beserkers into thinking that is all a Troll can be..

Exactly. We had Blue Moon assassins dropping silently from their moths and flick-flacking their way to an untimely end by the hands of PCs with drawn mauls and greatswords. They could use Darkwalk and Summon Shadow, if they were in the right subcults, and were pretty good at night.

We also had the War Slug - slow but good at climbing walls and moving along ceilings.

 

[Loz]

We also had the War Slug - slow but good at climbing walls and moving along ceilings.

But dead-easy to track, and everso vulnerable to salt...

 

[Mage]

SO basically there are troll ninjas, who sneak around using magic, not skill, and flying moths. So they are assasins, but aren't really ninjas then?

An assasin and a ninja are not necessarily the same thing.

 

[Loz]

SO basically there are troll ninjas, who sneak around using magic, not skill, and flying moths. So they are assasins, but aren't really ninjas then?

An assasin and a ninja are not necessarily the same thing.

Quite so, Ninja-like, but not ninja per-se.

And everyone knows that ninjas are turtles, not trolls.

 

[Mage]

And that all rats are masters of martial arts...

 

[Rasta]

and ninjas only eat pizza too

 

[Utgardloki]

One strategy that I have found useful for Runequest is to take a D&D prestige class, and mine it for ideas to set up a society such as Druid or Ninja. (I am using this strategy extensively for my Iron Kingdoms conversion)

So to make rules for a ninja clan in Runequest, you can take one of the many ninja prestige classes that have been published, and determine analogs in skills and legendary abilities. Different ninja clans can be based on different prestige classes, giving ninjas from those clans slight differences in style.

This is not a way to bring prestige classes into Runequest -- just a quick way to scavange from one game system to get much of the work done quickly.

Maybe I should write up an article on a good way to do this for the Runequest Wiki.

 

[Mage]

Or send it to signs and portents.

 

[Utgardloki]

While catching up with the news on Slate Magazine, I found out about a Russian ninja who was caught in Italy.

One blogger apparently doesn't think that ninjas should ride bicycles: "Ninja Spreads Fear, Lameness"

Another blogger said that since he was captured, he was obviously not a ninja: "one hundred ninety-five"

The second blog pointed me to the AskANinja.Com web site. Looks interesting but I don't have time to investigate it tonight.

Beware of ninjas on bicycles.