Roleplaying game

188
Chapter 7: The Game Master
Chapter 7: The Game Master
Table 7–16: Sample Diminishments
Action
Glory You Must Forfeit
Examples
Trifling 
Diminishment
1
Choosing to share credit for a deed with someone of lower status 
Admitting a minor lie publicly 
Having a gift declined by someone of equal or higher status 
Declining a gift from someone of lower status (beyond the customary two refusals politeness demands) 
Being seen retreating from a brawl 
Killing an opponent who can no longer fight back 
Choosing to leave the public eye for a month
Minor 
Diminishment
Glory equal to glory rank
Allowing an insult to your person to pass without comment 
Choosing to share credit for a deed with someone of equal or higher status 
Admitting a serious lie publicly 
Declining a gift from someone of equal or higher status (beyond the customary two refusals 
politeness demands) 
Allowing an ancestral weapon to be destroyed or lost 
Being seen retreating from a skirmish 
Choosing not to commit seppuku alongside your lord (if not asked to do so) 
Choosing to leave the public eye for three to six months
Major 
Diminishment
Glory equal to glory rank x 2 Murdering someone of lower status in cold blood 
Withdrawing from a mass battle 
Failing to arrive at a duel 
Attacking a surrendering enemy army 
Choosing to leave the public eye for six months to a year
Massive 
Diminishment
Glory equal to glory rank x 4 Murdering someone of equal or higher status in cold blood 
Ordering a retreat in a mass battle 
Refusing to commit seppuku when ordered to do so by your lord 
Choosing to leave the public eye for years
Table 7–15: Sample Acknowledgements
Action
Glory Reward
Examples
Trifling 
Acknowledgement
1
Being publicly acknowledged by someone of equal or higher status 
Getting someone of equal or higher status to accept an item you crafted as a gift 
Bragging publicly after receiving recognition for a glorious deed 
Getting others to gossip and speculate about your most recent love affair (without their knowing the 
identity of your lover) 
Publicly defeating a group of bandits or other petty ruffians 
Participating as a leader in a mass battle 
Challenging someone to a duel publicly 
Receiving a marriage proposal from someone of equal or higher status 
Reading a love letter from an anonymous source in public
Minor 
Acknowledgement
3
Achieving a strategic objective as a leader in a mass battle 
Publicly receiving a gift of rarity 7 or higher from someone of equal or higher status 
Participating on the winning side in a public debate (an intrigue scene) 
Defeating an opponent with glory 40 or higher in a duel or clash (or other relevant contest) 
Receiving accolades for completing a minor task for someone of equal or higher status 
Marrying someone of equal or higher glory 
Orchestrating a marriage of a relative to someone of equal or higher status 
Reaching school rank 2, 3, or 4
Major 
Acknowledgement
6
Participating as a leader on the winning side of a mass battle 
Defeating an opponent with glory 60 or higher in a duel or clash (or other relevant contest) 
Receiving accolades for completing a major task for someone of equal or higher status 
Defeating a superhuman creature such as a troll or oni with the assistance of allies 
Marrying someone of equal or higher status 
Reaching school rank 5 
Settling a long-standing feud, acquiring agreements of palliation from both sides
Massive 
Acknowledgement
9
Defeating an opponent with glory 80 or higher in a duel or clash (or other relevant contest) 
Defeating a superhuman creature such as a troll or oni in single combat 
Being the victorious commander in a mass battle 
Marrying someone in the Imperial family 
Reaching school rank 6

---

189
Chapter 7: The Game Master
underlying personalities of NPCs by having these characters treat each 
other differently based on it. Most characters will defer to someone of 
higher status and expect obedience from those of lower status, but the 
manner in which this occurs can be an extremely good way to hint at the 
true nature of the NPCs. A sycophantic person will lavish attention on 
those of higher status but disdain those of lower status; a more funda-
mentally decent person will likely treat people well despite not being told 
to by society. Someone who hates their superior will still likely treat them 
well to their face, but might work to undermine their efforts, and occa-
sionally let subtle hints of their dislike slip through the veneer of servility.
 The PCs, for their part, can use status by uncovering the status of other 
characters via narrative interaction or various skills and abilities, so that 
they can most effectively roleplay their interactions with these characters. 
As with NPCs, players might wish to have their characters act differently 
around characters of different status levels—though many players are 
notoriously disdainful of authority, and GMs should remember to ask for 
clarity on whether disparaging statements were actually intended to be in 
character and give players a bit of leeway on taking back their more biting 
comments unless they actually wish to forfeit the associated honor or glory.
Relationships
Relationships are vital to samurai drama. A character’s relationship with 
their lord, their enemies, or their loved ones often drive their actions in 
the plot—especially when these relationships come into conflict with the 
character’s desires and obligations. Being ordered to serve alongside one’s 
hated rival might cause a character no small degree of strife, while being 
obligated to seek revenge against an old friend by the precepts of Honor 
might cause a character to question the Code of Bushidō itself. Each 
character has several relationships established during character creation, 
and players can record more as they see fit.
Each character sheet provides a space to record a character’s most 
significant relationships, along with some brief notes for each relation-
ship on the nature of the bond (or enmity) the two characters share. The 
player should notify the GM when they add a relationship, so that the 
GM can also record it on the Campaign Sheet (see page 227) to help 
them keep track of the people the PCs know. Similarly, the GM might tell 
a player to add a relationship if their character’s actions stir someone’s 
emotions greatly, for good or for ill. The GM should pay attention to re-
lationships that a player wants their character to forge, as this gives them 
an excellent insight into the plot threads that interest that player, and lets 
the GM bring back characters of interest later to pull upon those threads 
once again!
Relationships can change. A rival might become a friend after the two 
characters serve together, or a friend might become a hated enemy in the 
wake of a great betrayal. However, importantly, relationships do not go 
away even if one person involved dies. After all, the departed often have 
a great impact on the way people live their lives and on the choices they 
make. Every person a character feels strongly for is someone they will 
likely always remember.

---