Roleplaying game

23
Chapter 1: Playing the Game
Glory
Glory represents society’s view of a character’s success in their mandated 
role. For a samurai, this reflects the reputation they have won as an effec-
tive agent of their lord, as well as the general consensus about whether or 
not they uphold Bushidō. In particular, glory is affected by the opinion 
of a character’s sworn lord. A character whose lord deeply respects their 
commitment and openly celebrates their achievements is likely to have a 
high glory. In contrast, a character who is seen as a necessary evil, or who 
has lost the faith of their lord, has a low glory. 
A character’s glory can decrease or increase by various means. Gener-
ally speaking, glory decreases when a character forfeits it to openly pro-
fess a lack of faith in the values of Bushidō or when they voluntarily allow 
their reputation to be damaged, or when a character stakes it on a boast-
ful claim they fail to fulfill. By contrast, the GM can grant a character a 
glory reward for receiving public accolades, achieving great deeds that 
become widely known, or working to spread their fame. See Receiving 
Glory Rewards, on page 187, for more information.
See Table 1–4: Glory Scores for descriptions of what a character’s 
glory value says about their reputation. As described in Table 1–4: Glory 
Scores, if a character’s glory reaches a certain range of values, the char-
acter receives one or more fame advantages or infamy disadvantages, 
chosen by the player and based on their reputation. These advantages or 
disadvantages are removed if the character’s glory rises (or falls) outside 
of the specified range. See Advantages and Disadvantages on page 60 
for a list of fame advantages and infamy disadvantages.
Table 1–3: Honor Scores
Value
Description
Additional Advantages/Disadvantages
100
Honor is Stronger than Steel: The character believes that Bushidō is worth upholding at 
any cost, and that by following its tenets, they can surmount any obstacle. Only the most 
dire circumstances or outright trickery would cause them to forsake their honor. They 
are remembered as paragons of the samurai caste.
3 virtue advantages
80–99
Never Stray from the Way: The character has given up much to embody the ideals 
of Bushidō, and they shall continue to do so as honor requires. They would rather 
forfeit their personal desires than face the shame and guilt of not living up to their own 
expectations. They will go to extreme lengths and endure significant personal sacrifices 
in the name of their lord and of what is right. 
2 virtue advantages
65–79
My Honor Is My Life: Those who live in accordance with Bushidō are strengthened 
by it, and can therefore endure the hardships it sometimes requires of them. On rare 
occasions, such samurai may abandon virtue in the name of practicality or for selfish 
ends, but afterward they cannot easily forgive themselves for doing so.
1 virtue advantage
30–64
Honor Is the Ideal: Most samurai are brought up to believe in Bushidō and strive to 
embody its virtues. When the character speaks and acts, it is with honor in mind, but 
they are still human and periodically succumb to temptation, or they are simply willing 
to sacrifice their honor if they must. Importantly, they still feel guilt over betraying their 
ideals or disappointing society, and they work to do better in the future.
–
20–29
Honor Is About Appearances: While the character cannot or will not reliably uphold 
the virtues of Bushidō, they still recognize the importance of honor to society and 
strive to fit in and play the part of a samurai. Nevertheless, they are willing to dishonor 
themselves if the need arises—or if the rewards are sufficiently enticing. They are 
motivated more by the threat of shame—and bringing dishonor upon their family and 
lord—rather than by feelings of guilt or remorse for their actions.
1 flaw disadvantage
1–19
Honor Is a Nicety: Although the character still places some stock in Bushidō, 
they believe that most of the tenets get in the way of what they need—or want—to 
accomplish. Their reality no longer aligns with samurai ideals, so they have given up on 
such luxuries as honor and make no efforts to pay lip service to them. The prospect of 
shame is no longer a motivating factor for the character, and they rarely feel guilt.
2 flaw disadvantages
0
I Make My Own Code: The character has completely lost faith in Bushidō and follows 
some other set of ideals—if they adhere to any personal code of conduct at all. 
3 flaw disadvantages
Sample Ninjō
Create a secure future with (or for) the one you love
Become the greatest sword duelist in the Empire
Become the best-known artisan or performer of a certain art
Create a secure future for a particular location or small group of 
individuals
Create a masterful work of art that wins praise across the ages
Take revenge on the family that you blame for the death of some-
one you loved
Protect a person or group from a particular enemy
Develop a new swordsmithing technique or shugenja invocation
Uncover lost secrets vital to combating a specific demon or ancient 
supernatural enemy of your family
Discover your true parentage
Achieve a particular rank within your clan
Become the captain of a ship or the main owner of a particular 
business

---

24
Chapter 1: Playing the Game
Chapter 1: Playing the Game
Giri
As part of their glory attribute, each character has an associated giri 
(“sworn duty”), which represents the way in which they serve their lord. 
This is the theme or issue by which the player wishes to see their samurai 
rise and fall during the campaign. When a player selects a giri, the player 
should choose it with the intent of naturally opposing the ninjō associat-
ed with the character’s honor. The conflict between personal feelings and 
duty is an important, recurring theme in works of fiction about samurai, 
and by setting these two in opposition, a player gets to help set the course 
for their samurai’s story and create opportunities for conflict and drama.
Choosing Giri
Drama in works of samurai fiction frequently arises when a noble samu-
rai must choose between the orders of a flawed lord and their personal 
ideals. Sometimes, a samurai is able to navigate these two perils; at other 
times, this ends in a death in battle or even seppuku, so that the samurai 
can escape the two unfulfillable tasks.
Thus, in many campaigns, a character’s giri should revolve around 
fulfilling direct orders bestowed by the clan daimyō. These orders can 
be broad (“win glory for the Lion Clan on the field of battle, wherever 
you find it”) or specific (“protect Kakita Asami as her yōjimbō”), but 
they should be attainable within the scope of the campaign and concrete 
enough that the player knows how to pursue them at any given time, even 
when the GM isn’t providing specific hooks to follow. If a player is unsure 
of how to pursue their character’s giri, they should speak with the GM 
and decide on a new giri that they can pursue more directly.
Resolving Giri
As with ninjō, giri can change—though generally, it does so based on the 
character’s narrative accomplishments or the needs of their lord. If a char-
acter ever succeeds in the task they have been assigned and receives recog-
nition from their lord for it through events in the narrative, the GM should 
give the character a glory reward of 5 to 10 glory, and then their daimyō 
should assign them a new giri (determined by the player and GM). 
If a player ever feels that their character has definitively failed in their 
giri, or decides to wholly abandon it, they must forfeit an amount of glory 
determined by the GM (often 5 to 10 glory, but possibly much more). As-
suming their daimyō accepts this failure or honors their request for a new 
duty, they should then assign them a new giri (determined by the player 
and GM). If the character has no lord to serve as a result of this, their giri 
becomes finding a new lord to serve.
Giri and Strife
When a player wishes to have their character pass up an opportunity to 
pursue their giri, the character suffers strife equal to their glory rank. At 
the GM’s discretion (in cases such as if word of their laxity will get back to 
their lord), they might also have to forfeit some amount of glory to pass up 
the opportunity, or stake glory on the success of the endeavor they pursue 
instead (see Forfeiting Glory and Staking Glory, on page 187).
Table 1–4: Glory Scores
Value
Description
Additional Advantages/Disadvantages
100
A samurai who has become a legendary hero, whose deeds have become worthy of 
poetry and song, and who is a household name even among peasants or is known by 
name to foreigners
3 fame advantages
90–99
A samurai considered among the most trusted and capable in their clan, whose exploits 
have become well-known and news of which have spread to the far corners of the Empire
2 fame advantages
80–89
A samurai whose exceptional deeds have garnered attention in the courts of other clans
65–79
A samurai of great accomplishment, whose name has reached the ears of those 
outside their family
1 fame advantage
60–64
An extremely competent and valued samurai
–
45–59
A samurai known for their effectiveness and reliability
–
40–44
A yet-unproven or ordinary samurai
–
30–39
A samurai whose reputation is marred by failure, disappointment, or ill-omen
–
20–29
A samurai or individual who is considered incompetent or untrustworthy
1 infamy disadvantage
10–19
An individual who has become known for their misdeeds across several provinces
2 infamy disadvantages
1–09
An individual whose heinous acts have been publicized across the land
0
One of the most villainous or scandalous individuals to have walked the Empire
3 infamy disadvantages
Sample Giri
Restore the reputation or fortunes of your teacher’s dōjō
Invent a new weapon that will give your clan an advantage
Protect your lord (or another charge who appears often in the cam-
paign), even to the death
Capture a particular region of land held by an enemy clan
Persuade a powerful leader to ally with your lord
Negotiate a trade agreement with a major ally
Gather information and use it to topple an enemy faction
Keep a particular secret of your lord from becoming public under 
any circumstances
Maintain the reputation or prosperity of a specific shrine
Attend to the needs of a particular kami or spiritual being
Guide your lord to victory against a particular enemy
Retrieve set of sacred (or unholy) artifacts for your clan
Assassinate multiple members of an enemy faction (or a single ex-
tremely well-guarded individual)

---