Concerning the Story

[Aedo]

This post is for the discussion of the development of the initial story situation.

It seems like, so far, most people are in favor of forwarding from the old storyline either e few years or a generations worth. We want to have the empire be rebuilding and then have a large event that brings together the players from around the empire. Also there should be the revelation of some impending threat and that will pretty much start us off for the overarching plot. Does this sound about right?

I am in favor of Shoju's idea for a tournament of champions. I think we should work that action pretty quickly and then at the festivities afterwards the emissaries of one of the big bads make an appearance and start us rolling.

I also like the idea of a more than two sided fight. I think we had previously discussed the idea of a kolat war which could imply incursions from the burning sands as well as a new effort from a more organized and respectable shadowlands. if this is a big three way secret war type brawl I am all in favor of that. However, we need to make sure that the warriors in the play group have something to do too so there should be some real power flexing from these threatening entities.

[Raposa]

As you requested to discuss it here: I know I'm probably the only one who would like to continue the story exactly from where we left it. Why? Because all the political issues are already there, there are plenty of reasons for the clans to interact and lots of conflicts and interests to work with. But, I know this may not sound fun to lots of players.

I rather keep my paws off the storyline so I'm fine with whoever wants to work with that

[Aedo]

State of things at the end of the original Emerald Empire Game (Based on Kitsu Natsuki's Timeline):

-The Spider was never really recognized as a real clan and are still a band of Shadowlands based ronin
-The Scorpion have a big fat army in Crab lands and are a significant presence in the wall
-Kaneka is dead(?) and Hantei XL is getting ready to get married.
-Lion and Unicorn armies are defeated but not dead.
-the Shadowlands is right on top of the wall and the Fortress of the Forgotten

[Aedo]

Thoughts:

It seems to me that in the new story there should be a young imperial heir. Also, the Scorpion should have a huge advantage over the Crab.

[Akodo Keisuke]

I am more in favor of starting a new story line, like I said on the other boards, pick a cannon event and let the players play in that world and drive the story in a new direction.

But if the consensus is against that however I would prefer to see something that is a generation or two removed from the previous events so that Empire has had a chance to settle a bit before we start playing gods again.

[Aedo]

I can see where you're going with that idea. We don't want to burden new players with an excess of information to learn before diving in.

That said, no matter which kind of story we want to use, we probably want something to be happening in the empire. Mai and I like to chant the mantra that the best samurai drama happens at the end of the samurai era. Not because of the end of the samurai but because there is turmoil and disorganization for the samurai involved. We will want something similar for our story. We want something that really shakes up and threatens the nice stable feel of the empire so that players are wrested from their comfortable lives and are required to DO something.

Mai has an idea for a cool adventurous situation from right after the second day of thunder but I'll let her give the sales pitch for that.

I don't particularly care where or when we start things out, but I agree with Keisuke that we want to have something people can get involved with easily without too much reading. I think we can explain the War of the Brothers pretty easily if we need to as one of the inciting incidents of the story we tell.

Once again for summation: Drama plus Easy to explain.

[sarcasticmuppet]

I'm always a fan of starting fresh, but that doesn't mean that there can't be homages to the old story game.

-Immediately after the second day of Thunder, Toturi refuses to be named Emperor, and instead initiates an empire-wide search for the last scion of the Hantei line (this is an idea I like to play around with a lot).

-Thousand Years of Darkness: The second day of Thunder failed, Fu Leng won, and the Shadowlands is pretty much everywhere. The issue of powerlevel of the bad guys would be moot, as they are in the open, publicly doing what they do, but the game would be about the efforts of the good guys trying to fight back against incredible odds.

-Change in the Winds: Consider having an alternate wind become emperor, like Sezaru or even Tsudao. How would the political landscape change without Naseru's diplomatic sense coming from the throne?

-Rokugan2k: future samurai using kami-feuled tech to fight bigger and meaner oni as fate brings a third day of thunder.

If we do keep the EE storyline, or even parts of it, we need some kind of hook, one simple way of introducing how things are and what direction they can go in. Like I said in the EE forum, if we can't summarize the story in less than two paragraphs, it will be very off-putting for new people.

[Akodo Keisuke]

Sept 25, 2013 17:18:46 GMT -6 sarcasticmuppet said:

-Change in the Winds: Consider having an alternate wind become emperor, like Sezaru or even Tsudao. How would the political landscape change without Naseru's diplomatic sense coming from the throne?

Because this is a story that so many fans still talk about, old school fans began to drop off here and the new kids began to take an interest. One possibility would be to set the story in the closing period of the 4 winds story arc give people a chance to pick a different wind to ascend the throne and choose another to make that last full measure of devotion. In the aftermath of such events players could emerge as clan champions or clan leaders. Who knows maybe Daigotsu could win this time, and the players would have to struggle against great odds to restore the empire.

[mitsu]

Anyway, we MUST decide for something. After the end of the game in Facebook and RokuganEE, we watched the way people got excited with the possiblity of doing something like EE2, though not really doing anything, but discussing (for a long time) possibilities and ideas.
I know many of us (some not here right now) contributed with opinions of an ideal plot hook, timeline, or at least, with something we don't wish to play, etc. Lots of options were suggested. It is really wonderful.
Though, I think it isn't really productive. I think we have enough possibilities to choose from:

A. Direct Sequel of EE1
1. generational gap
2. less than 10 years from EE1 events


B. Different Timeline
1. Attached to official Rokugani history
2. Detached from official Rokugani history

Can we decide at least one of this 4 options? Then I'm sure the creative team will start brainstorming and the such!

We Brazilians have a saying, that is more like: "The unanimity is stupid." I'm sure we'll not agree in everything. But we cannot stay indefinitely waiting for a total consensus about the storyline.

I do not think I can help with the storyline, but I'd really like to see a creative team working in something. I truly believe you are wonderful storytellers.
If part of us wish a time gap, why not try and use it as test? It was what motivate Sojiro and Saiko to start gathering people together again. Maybe you guys of the creative team (I think you will gather somehow, right?) can give the possibilities suggested till now, a try, analizing pros and cons... I don't know. I'm just a bit concerned because "I've seen this movie before": too many vague ideas, too many possibilities... and people abandoning the project (again) because the vagueness... Sincerely, it sucks.
And again, I'm amazed with the dedication of you guys (you know who you are, right?) trying to make EE2 possible once more. Thank you guys.

[Aedo]

I think Mitsu is right on with the 4 options idea. I'm going to make a poll in the old forum for people to vote on what they like and then we can take the biggest contender and develop from there.

EDIT: Or rather, I would if I could post a poll there.

[Akodo Keisuke]

Poll Posted Here

This is the only public spot I could post a poll, so you need to logged in to view it.

[theoloc]

I am also in favor of a fresh start with the great plot hooks that "aedo" offers!
Let's see what this poll offers as a result!

[Aedo]

So let’s talk for a little bit about Shahai, the Dark Daughter of Fu Leng. Shahai is pretty much a totally awesome bad guy…or…girl, rather. She sees herself as the equal to Daigotsu and the superior of Iuchiban. She fought and destroyed the first dark daughter of Fu Leng and absorbed her soul! Clearly a badass.

So going forward who should she be and what should she do then? I see Shahai as this kind of crazed lover of Daigotsu who wants revenge upon the empire in general (and Tsudao in particular) for slaying Daigotsu. She wants to sit down and create a real plan against the empire and then carry it out with the full force of the Shadowlands.

However, she can’t just be the evil witch queen sending out flying monkeys every so often. Because we want a more regulated and organized Shadowlands, she needs to be the person who solidly claims power and rebuilds the power of the Lost and the Shadowlands together. She needs to be an evil empress in her own right. So I view her as the go getter CEO of a new and improved Shadowlands inc. She wants to completely rebuild everything that Daigotsu had achieved and more.

To that end, at the opening of our story shahai is not at her full strength. She does not control every last inch of the Shadowlands with the kind of confidence that Daigotsu had. She is scrambling to make herself a power to be reckoned with. I think that nominally at least, she controls the City of the Lost but the Lost are battered and broken and need some good leadership that she is more than happy to provide.

Perhaps she should have her own little council of people who advise her as she looks over her options and tries to make the most efficient decisions. She is always weighing her resources against potential uses with a deadly intensity. She is always willing to kill to achieve her goals, and in fact, in her mind that tends to be the most effective tactic. Much like working with a bonsai tree, the best thing you can do is clip away unwanted branches.

Anyone who deals with her ought to come away with the impression that she’s just barely holding in her own craziness. If she could, she would go mad and just flatten the empire but that’s not what her goal is. That’s not what Daigotsu’s goal is. She needs to be…Intense. She just barely gets into your personal space and looks you in the eyes a little too often. She speaks in a very deliberately controlled manner, never getting too fast or too slow with her speech. The only exception is when she speaks to the empress. Then the seams of her façade start to pop and she becomes just ever so emotional and a little angry.

Shahai is a powerful maho-tsukai. This is known throughout the entire empire as they have dealt with her before. She is always working to perfect her magic and in particular, her control over the physical representations of kansen and oni. She was a blood speaker previously and still has ties with them.

Overall, She is a very active leader. She takes a hands on approach to the destruction of Rokugan. If she can, she will actually come into the empire and she directs her agents directly when they are doing big things. She keeps a tight leash on her minions and you can be sure that every action she takes has a purpose other than just wanton destruction.

[saiko]

Go with the Dueling Empresses? If we are to do a new divergence, than this is what I'd put my support behind, as long as we can still fit a third major element in there. I really like the idea of as much internal conflict as possible.

EDIT: Just got to the point in the podcast where the Gozoku are mentioned again, that would be perfect.

[Aedo]

Just a sketch of what tsudao might look like in imperial regalia. Note the obi of Amaterasu and the rockin' jinbaori with the junihitoe. Also, Tsudao carries a sword. Not a fan, not ashaku, but a sword.

[mitsu]

Oct 3, 2013 21:22:22 GMT -6 saiko said:

Go with the Dueling Empresses? If we are to do a new divergence, than this is what I'd put my support behind, as long as we can still fit a third major element in there. I really like the idea of as much internal conflict as possible.

EDIT: Just got to the point in the podcast where the Gozoku are mentioned again, that would be perfect.

Exactly my thoughts.

[Aedo]

Toturi Sezaru

I like shugenja so I’m going to write some thoughts about the magical Wind.

Sezaru’s most interesting character trait is that he has this voice in his head from the Void, which may or may not be a demon (No one really knows). I think we want to play with that aspect as one of his defining traits and make him the crazy one of the group.

So picture this: After the defeat of the Shadowlands there is the big party happening. Amongst all this joviality Sezaru is the only person who seems a little on edge. Something still seems…wrong. However, his thoughts are tamped down by the crowds and his close friends who tell him to lighten up.

Sezaru is then named the Jade champion in recognition for his service to the empress. Yes, they forego the usual tournament as Tsudao tries to cement her influence as the newly recognized empress. Along with this power play, Tsudao is moving her brothers into various clans to have them relinquish their claims on the throne while still maintaining close connections to the throne.

After all this, Sezaru suddenly stops sleeping properly. He claims disturbing dreams and visions through the Void. He cannot figure out what is going on. All he knows is that something is wrong. Slowly he loses his grip on everyday life and becomes a little crazier every time you see him. He is jittery from too much tea to keep awake and always wears his mask in public.

Sezaru should oscillate between two attitudes when dealing with others. On the one side he should seem tired and ready for rest. He is soft spoken and willing to talk peacefully so that he doesn’t get too worked up. He has deep insights into the ways of magic and is willing to talk about them with just about anyone. As the Jade champion he is responsible for spiritual purity in the empire but he is mostly willing to let his magistrates do the work. He politely refuses many requests for physical activity as he is worn out and always ready to escape a tedious meeting for the chance to relax a little. Maybe have some tea to calm the nerves.

However, at unpredictable times he becomes incredibly active, almost manic. He will suddenly switch to this state with almost no provocation. While in these states he is gung ho about every one of his activities and is willing to lose time and sleep over his various responsibilities. He will spend late nights studying or planning with others about the necessity of turning back the shadowlands and keeping them out of the empire. Sometimes he seems almost like an inspired crusader for the cause, other times he is the dark avenger of the empire. His focus in these states is ALWAYS stopping the shadowlands, even to the point of negligence of his other duties. He feels like something is WRONG!


Thoughts? Questions? Comments?

[yasukichadnotakolat]

I would like to add something to your post on Sezeru.

Ok, imagine this, during one of Sezaru's episodes he goes bonkers, enters the shadowlands, and utterly annialates a high priority target. (Oni Lord, Shaihai, The City of the Lost..)

He's tainted doing it. In fact, he's Lost doing so.

He's an unimaginally powerful shujenga, so the wards in the palace wouldn't be much use calling him out. His historical craziness protects him from people really catching on to this for the longest time. I imagine it to be kind of a alternate thousand years of darkness, with a crazy shugenja on the throne instead of a crazy god.

This is only for a Sezaru Storyline, and I would prefer Tsudao as our Fearless leader.

[Raposa]

I just had some random memories so... I think we should continue from this point:



The brief Hiromitsu the First reign. We know he would revoke taxes, forgive the Lion and everything would be fun and games throughout the empire

Ok, never mind me, carry on o.o