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Author Topic: Japanese influence in your campaigns  (Read 7832 times)

MeganovaStella

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Japanese influence in your campaigns
« on: August 10, 2022, 06:05:35 PM »
How much does Japanese media influence your campaigns? Their story, their characters, their world, and so on. In that vein, how does Japanese media influence your players and their PCs? And what specific titles do you select ideas from?

I pick from mostly anime and manga: Digimon (monster catching), Shin Megami Tensei (religious beings, law and chaos), Berserk (respectful depiction of the outcomes of sexual assault (with player consent of course), giant swords, CLANG), Xenoseries (giant robots, science focus, robot girls)

deadDMwalking

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Re: Japanese influence in your campaigns
« Reply #1 on: August 10, 2022, 06:21:18 PM »
Japan has a rich cultural history and a medieval period that lends itself to a similar type of fantasy gaming as medieval Europe.  And that's both good and bad - if you incorporate individual elements into a faux-European environment, you lose what makes it unique.  Katanas can exist alongside zweihanders, but it's just another sword without culture. 

While a lot of fantasy worlds include a fantasy Asia, often it exists separately from the 'default area' that is more medieval.  It makes sense to adventure in one or the other, but not usually both.  It's normal to have characters from one region or the other, but not to have a mixed party

Personally, I think that works best.  If you play a western RPG all the players understand the type of society and characters thar are appropriate.  If you play a Japanese inspired game, you should commit in a similar way.  It can still be FANTASY - it doesn't have to be realistic or historical, but being clear about the theme allows players to engage in the world in a consistent way.
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MeganovaStella

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Re: Japanese influence in your campaigns
« Reply #2 on: August 10, 2022, 06:45:23 PM »
Japan has a rich cultural history and a medieval period that lends itself to a similar type of fantasy gaming as medieval Europe.  And that's both good and bad - if you incorporate individual elements into a faux-European environment, you lose what makes it unique.  Katanas can exist alongside zweihanders, but it's just another sword without culture. 

While a lot of fantasy worlds include a fantasy Asia, often it exists separately from the 'default area' that is more medieval.  It makes sense to adventure in one or the other, but not usually both.  It's normal to have characters from one region or the other, but not to have a mixed party

Personally, I think that works best.  If you play a western RPG all the players understand the type of society and characters thar are appropriate.  If you play a Japanese inspired game, you should commit in a similar way.  It can still be FANTASY - it doesn't have to be realistic or historical, but being clear about the theme allows players to engage in the world in a consistent way.

I was referring to Japanese popular culture, but your post is good on its own!

GeekyBugle

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Re: Japanese influence in your campaigns
« Reply #3 on: August 10, 2022, 07:15:38 PM »
Unless I'm playing/running an anime inspired game not at all. If yes it depends on the type of setting, and I NEVER depict rape nor would I play in a game that does.
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GeekyBugle

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Re: Japanese influence in your campaigns
« Reply #4 on: August 10, 2022, 07:25:30 PM »
Japan has a rich cultural history and a medieval period that lends itself to a similar type of fantasy gaming as medieval Europe.  And that's both good and bad - if you incorporate individual elements into a faux-European environment, you lose what makes it unique.  Katanas can exist alongside zweihanders, but it's just another sword without culture. 

While a lot of fantasy worlds include a fantasy Asia, often it exists separately from the 'default area' that is more medieval.  It makes sense to adventure in one or the other, but not usually both.  It's normal to have characters from one region or the other, but not to have a mixed party

Personally, I think that works best.  If you play a western RPG all the players understand the type of society and characters thar are appropriate.  If you play a Japanese inspired game, you should commit in a similar way.  It can still be FANTASY - it doesn't have to be realistic or historical, but being clear about the theme allows players to engage in the world in a consistent way.


Bolded what I want to address.

While I do agree that having Katanas in pseudo medieval Europe losses all the meaning of the sword. I think that, without falling into Gonzo or "because Dragons!" there's a perfectly fine way to include a character of one in the other and even to have it be a part of the party:

It's the "Fish out of water" trope, if the players are mature enough and capable of playing it as that then it lends itself to very good roleplaying.

A Yankee in the Court of King Arthur.
The Last Samurai

Both are examples of this trope to some extent, played for shit and giggles to a point in the first one and in the second the character ends up assuming the culture as his own.

Everybody can play whatever and however they want, just wanted to point out the possible lost oportunity.
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Here is why this forum tends to be so stupid. Many people here think Joe Biden is "The Left", when he is actually Far Right and every US republican is just an idiot.

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MeganovaStella

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Re: Japanese influence in your campaigns
« Reply #5 on: August 10, 2022, 07:26:15 PM »
Unless I'm playing/running an anime inspired game not at all. If yes it depends on the type of setting, and I NEVER depict rape nor would I play in a game that does.

That's okay.

Lurkndog

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Re: Japanese influence in your campaigns
« Reply #6 on: August 10, 2022, 07:40:11 PM »
It's pretty common to have humanoid mecha in sci fi these days, even if they don't pull any other Japanese pop culture references.

Likewise the Really Big Gun on capital ships or flagships.

Also, I was a big fan of the Teenagers from Outer Space RPG back in the day.

jeff37923

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Re: Japanese influence in your campaigns
« Reply #7 on: August 10, 2022, 08:27:16 PM »
I've run Space Battleship Yamato using Traveller. Record of Lodoss War is the manga/anime retelling of the author's D&D game.

My games have been influenced by a lot of anime and manga. Right off the top of my head -  Bubblegum Crisis, Ghost in the Shell, Appleseed, Ruin Explorers, Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Gundam (a lot, but not all), Cowboy Bebop, Patlabor, Macross (some but not all), Wings of Honneamaise, Evangelion, Samurai X, Goblin Slayer, Samurai Champloo, Akira, The Weathering Continent, plus a bunch of shorts by Katsuhiro Otomo.

I have to admit, some of the stuff I watch with the family just wouldn't really work in a RPG setting. Shows like Genshiken, Comic Party, The Quintessential Quintuplets, Your Name, Belle, A Whisker Away, My Roommate is a Cat, and the Miyazaki films we like.

None of us think that isekai would be fun to play as a RPG session.

EDIT: I'm a big fan of Mekton and Cyberpunk 2020 - R. Talsorian Games had winners with those and the anime/manga influence is huge in them.
« Last Edit: August 10, 2022, 08:30:10 PM by jeff37923 »
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jeff37923

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Re: Japanese influence in your campaigns
« Reply #8 on: August 10, 2022, 08:28:07 PM »
Also, I was a big fan of the Teenagers from Outer Space RPG back in the day.

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MeganovaStella

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Re: Japanese influence in your campaigns
« Reply #9 on: August 10, 2022, 08:31:27 PM »
I've run Space Battleship Yamato using Traveller. Record of Lodoss War is the manga/anime retelling of the author's D&D game.

My games have been influenced by a lot of anime and manga. Right off the top of my head -  Bubblegum Crisis, Ghost in the Shell, Appleseed, Ruin Explorers, Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Gundam (a lot, but not all), Cowboy Bebop, Patlabor, Macross (some but not all), Wings of Honneamaise, Evangelion, Samurai X, Goblin Slayer, Samurai Champloo, Akira, The Weathering Continent, plus a bunch of shorts by Katsuhiro Otomo.

I have to admit, some of the stuff I watch with the family just wouldn't really work in a RPG setting. Shows like Genshiken, Comic Party, The Quintessential Quintuplets, Your Name, Belle, A Whisker Away, My Roommate is a Cat, and the Miyazaki films we like.

None of us think that isekai would be fun to play as a RPG session.

EDIT: I'm a big fan of Mekton and Cyberpunk 2020 - R. Talsorian Games had winners with those and the anime/manga influence is huge in them.

Wow. You have really good taste. I should check those out.

Effete

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Re: Japanese influence in your campaigns
« Reply #10 on: August 10, 2022, 09:00:35 PM »
Cyberpunk games (2.0.2.0. & Shadowrun specifically) were already heavily influenced by manga, so it's only natural to continue to draw from those sources when you play those campaigns.

Other than that, I generally find influence from plenty of real world cultures when designing a setting. For example, in a 3.5 game I ran about 17 years ago, the dwarves' honor code was modeled after Bushido, and their ancestor worship borrowed heavily from Shinto-buddism. Small stone statues of squat dwarves (evoking images of the Buddha) were both symbolic and literal representations of Dwarven ancestors since their ashes were mixed into the mortar made to sculpt the statues. Cremation ceremonies also tied in nicely with the dwarves' love of forges. They didn't use katanas or anything, but their militaristic society would have been recognized by any shogun.

Omega

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Re: Japanese influence in your campaigns
« Reply #11 on: August 10, 2022, 11:39:26 PM »
Depends on the setting and system.

D&D allowed for it right out the gate as you could play a fighter as a knight in shining armor, a axe wielding barbarian, a swawhbuckling fencer, or a samurai warrior and so on.

Other settings are more, or less, flexible. If only because they lack any equivalent to the orient.

Much like Jeff above we used Star Frontiers to run Yamato type space epics and at Gen Con there was an annual Star Frontiers/Yamato space battle played with the old model kits from the series. We also had a short lives Ulysse 31 campaign.

For fantasy settings I've introduced various monsters from the orient. And weapons converted over as needed. Can be alot of fun and keeps the players on their toes.

It is much the same as say Greek mythology influences in a campaign. See my above mention of Ulysse 31 for a Star Frontiers campaign.

Lynn

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Re: Japanese influence in your campaigns
« Reply #12 on: August 11, 2022, 02:17:37 AM »
I ran some Bushido in the late 80s and tried to stick to the culture as much as possible.

Unfortunately, some of the best examples for samurai type campaigns are some of the (somewhat cheesy) Japanese samurai television shows of the 70s-90s, and those shows are really hard to find outside of Japan. Mito-Komon is a very good one. The Shogun's retired uncle travels around with a small troop of helpers, find out injustices and then reveals himself, bring the bad guys to justice. Shows like that really demonstrate the sort of things you can leave out without losing the samurai vibe.
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Hzilong

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Re: Japanese influence in your campaigns
« Reply #13 on: August 11, 2022, 02:18:37 AM »
I've run Space Battleship Yamato using Traveller. Record of Lodoss War is the manga/anime retelling of the author's D&D game.

My games have been influenced by a lot of anime and manga. Right off the top of my head -  Bubblegum Crisis, Ghost in the Shell, Appleseed, Ruin Explorers, Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Gundam (a lot, but not all), Cowboy Bebop, Patlabor, Macross (some but not all), Wings of Honneamaise, Evangelion, Samurai X, Goblin Slayer, Samurai Champloo, Akira, The Weathering Continent, plus a bunch of shorts by Katsuhiro Otomo.

I have to admit, some of the stuff I watch with the family just wouldn't really work in a RPG setting. Shows like Genshiken, Comic Party, The Quintessential Quintuplets, Your Name, Belle, A Whisker Away, My Roommate is a Cat, and the Miyazaki films we like.

None of us think that isekai would be fun to play as a RPG session.

EDIT: I'm a big fan of Mekton and Cyberpunk 2020 - R. Talsorian Games had winners with those and the anime/manga influence is huge in them.

Speaking of Miyazaki, Nausicaa, Princess Mononoke, and Howl’s Moving Castle might actually make good settings as there is plenty of conflict. I would like to say Castle in the Sky as well, but a lot of the broader conflict seems implied offscreen rather than explicitly outlined in the movie.
« Last Edit: August 11, 2022, 02:20:19 AM by Hzilong »
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weirdguy564

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Re: Japanese influence in your campaigns
« Reply #14 on: August 11, 2022, 03:02:10 AM »
My first ever RPG game was anime.  Palladium Books RoboTech Macross. 

I still love Mecha to this day.  I’ll get around to playing  Tiny D6 Mecha Vs Monsters 2 when it finally is released.  Hopefully very soon. 

Even my superhero is a Mecha pilot.  A sort of Cyclone style transforming motorcycle, but mine has a sword.  Again, using Tiny D6 rules, in this case their Super Hero game.  Armored-1, Superspeed-1, and the normal shield trait (front wheel is a left arm shield in robot mode).
I’m glad for you if you like the top selling game of the genre.  Me, I like the road less travelled, and will be the player asking we try a game you’ve never heard of.