Questions for the GMs

[Yasuki Masaki]

Minor note on the 4e for newcomers post:

If you do not have the skill that is asked for, you can roll unskilled. In that case, you'd just roll and keep your trait. Unfortunately, your dice do not explode in that case, nor can you call Raises.

Might be worth including that you cannot apply Free Raises to unskilled rolls too, maybe? I say that because that was one of the interactions I forgot most often when I was a newcomer (back in the before days....)

That said, thanks a lot for setting that up, it's a fantastic way to make things welcoming for new players!

(And as others said, thanks a lot and congratulations on all the preparation and detail that clearly went into the game!)

[Fukurokujin]

Just to make sure then: 3 slots for the normies like Masaki, and I suppose 4 with Cursed by Yume-do and 2 with Touched by Yume-do?

Yep!

[Doji Hikaru]

Because multiple of us asked in Discord:

What is required to finalize a deal? I ask for both purely trade purposes and anything that would involve an alliance and/or marriage.

[Cearnach]

Because multiple of us asked in Discord:

What is required to finalize a deal? I ask for both purely trade purposes and anything that would involve an alliance and/or marriage.

1) You're going to want your Daimyo's sign-off on any deal. Most of the time this will probably not be too hard to do, but the Daimyo have their own issues, so you'll want to think about how to present things. This is a pretty informal process where we'll roleplay through your presentation of the deal and they'll be able to pose questions or suggest other steps.

2) Any formal agreement between clans needs to be moved through court and accepted by the Empress. In practical terms, that means that the presiding officer needs to agree.

That means that you'll be using the Court Actions System. One character Introduces Own Position, other characters support it or oppose it as they like. At some point, either the debate will be quashed (using that action), or the presiding officer will have formed an opinion and will make a ruling, ending that debate and either permitting the agreement or rejecting it.

Is there any way that I can skirt this system?

Yes, it is possible to make a secret deal (or secret part of a deal) between clans. However, that deal (or part of a deal) will be illegal, and either clan may choose not to follow through on that deal or that part of the deal if they wish. Furthermore, there are stiff penalties (like, you know, death), for abrading the Empress' prerogatives. Don't get caught!

[Phoenix clan characters should be aware that Shiba Higashime will under no circumstances countenance anything with even the slightest hint of illegality]

[Doji Shinnosuke]

2) Any formal agreement between clans needs to be moved through court and accepted by the Empress. In practical terms, that means that the presiding officer needs to agree.

I made an assumption about what counts as a "formal agreement" between clans here that I realized might not be correct. Basically there are three types of "deals" we're all talking about at the clan level (barring more unique niche stuff):

1. Formal alliance between clans
2. Inter-clan marriage agreement, in which one samurai marries into a different clan
3. Simple resource trading, in which clan A trades some commodities or favors in exchange for other commodities/favors from Clan B (without further commitments once the trade is done)

All three of these need to be approved by the daimyo of the clans involved. 1 and 2 also need to be presented in court and accepted by the Empress/her officers. Does 3 need to go through the court system, too, or can clans make those economic deals on their own?

[Fukurokujin]

All three of these need to be approved by the daimyo of the clans involved. 1 and 2 also need to be presented in court and accepted by the Empress/her officers. Does 3 need to go through the court system, too, or can clans make those economic deals on their own?

Formally, any inter-Clan trade would need Imperial approval, since inter-Clan relations fall under Imperial jurisdiction. (It's not unlike interstate commerce in the United States; cross a state line to make money, and federal jurisdiction applies.)

"Historically," trade arrangements are typically part and parcel of other agreements (e.g., marriages, alliances), with marriages used to solemnize the arrangement or the arrangement made to solemnize the alliance. This does not mean a stand-alone trade deal is impossible, of course, but it might be considered somewhat marked.

[Yasuki Masaki]

Taking a look at D2, another question on timing and spells

EA: Court. Presiding: Shiba Rumiko
MA: Event 4a: The Tryout
LA: Event 4b: The Kick-off

Having even longer-term spells (i'm thinking 8 hours duration, you probably know which one) active in court seems to be a possible problem. Casting a spell during an event is likely not a good idea as well. Given its duration, the spell in question is one normally easily used in your own quarters as it lasts for a long time later - but with the event directly after court that might just end up being impossible.

So - would using it before court, then letting the Seppun guards know it's active before court (and possibly getting wards to inactivate it) so it could get active after court (I.e. in the events) a possibility?

Or is the only way to have it active to use it in a slot after court - and thus possibly only if casting in the event itself (and possibly causing trouble) despite the usual duration?

Thanks again!

[Fukurokujin]

So - would using it before court, then letting the Seppun guards know it's active before court (and possibly getting wards to inactivate it) so it could get active after court (I.e. in the events) a possibility?

It is a possibility, yes. And being forthcoming with the Hidden Guard is generally a good idea.

How the wards and their tenders will react will depend on circumstances that change day to day. We do have to keep some things in reserve to surprise y'all, after all!

[Mirumoto Jinkan]

If we could get a reading here, for Daidoji Sae's future.

viewtopic.php?f=38&t=414&p=2286#p2286

[Fukurokujin]

If we could get a reading here, for Daidoji Sae's future.

viewtopic.php?f=38&t=414&p=2286#p2286

Check your PMs!

[Ikoma Tanji]

Is Kaiu Masahito a kaiu engineer, and thus an artisan?

[Fukurokujin]

Is Kaiu Masahito a kaiu engineer, and thus an artisan?

Yes, indeed!

[Yasuki Masaki]

Searched the forum for rules on this but couldn't find them, so here goes. When using Meditation for Void Recovery:

1) I'm assuming each attempt takes 1 Time Slot (i.e., you can only try to recover void once per time slot). Is that correct?

2) I'm assuming you can't do something else that 'takes a long time' (i.e., create something using Artisan, or things of the kind) in the same time slot. Is that correct?

3) Is there a limit to the number of times we may try to recover Void using Meditation per day? i.e., could we try (and possibly succeed at) recovering Void 2 or 3 times in a day if we dedicate different time slots to that?

4) Are there other game-specific rules we should keep in mind when using Meditation?

Thanks!

[Fukurokujin]

Searched the forum for rules on this but couldn't find them, so here goes. When using Meditation for Void Recovery:

1) I'm assuming each attempt takes 1 Time Slot (i.e., you can only try to recover void once per time slot). Is that correct?

2) I'm assuming you can't do something else that 'takes a long time' (i.e., create something using Artisan, or things of the kind) in the same time slot. Is that correct?

3) Is there a limit to the number of times we may try to recover Void using Meditation per day? i.e., could we try (and possibly succeed at) recovering Void 2 or 3 times in a day if we dedicate different time slots to that?

4) Are there other game-specific rules we should keep in mind when using Meditation?

Thanks!

To 1 and 2, yes.

To 3, I'm not aware of any limit, but I will note that spending so much time in Meditation on anything approaching a regular basis will prompt your delegation head to ask why you're not politicking.

To 4, not as yet. Some events may have comments that apply regarding them, however.

[Yasuki Masaki]

Thanks for the answer - and one more, sorry!

Masters of Court NPC tapping here, please At your convenience, of course (I just figured we'd probably need to have this up before D2?)

viewtopic.php?f=63&t=456&p=2371#p2371

Thanks again!

[Yasuki Masaki]

Oof, one more! I'll try to not pester that much in the next IC days XD

viewtopic.php?f=63&t=264&p=2463#p2463

Thanks again!

[Hiruma Daichi]

Do we lose honor for using a low skill in phase 2 of the crab meet the Daimyo event?

[Asako Kenichi]

Potentially stupid question, but Minor clans alsp have supplies and/or services we can trade for?

What about the Bortherhood?

[Agasha Yuna]

Two questions:

1) If we slept the required 3 sessions on the prior day, does that in and of itself restore any void points? Or, no. Only through meditation and tea ceremony?

2) I can see in the setting materials that the Imperials have blacklisted marriages with the Crane for some time. I also saw that trade deals are almost always sealed with a marriage. Is it a matter of public record and common knowledge how trade deals have been 'sealed' in the absence of marriage in that particular circumstance? It sounds like all deals are publicly discussed in court, so anyone who attended the last several years' winter courts would immediately know the answer to that. (That's not my character! But probably true of at least one delegate in any given clan and the Daimyo etc., so pretty common knowledge. It's fine if the answer is to ask in character. Just checking if this is something all PCs would already know.)

[Fukurokujin]

Things seem to have been busy!

Do we lose honor for using a low skill in phase 2 of the crab meet the Daimyo event?

Given the circumstances, not unless it's maho or something like it. But if you do that in front of the Kaiu daimyo, you're going to have other problems entirely.

Potentially stupid question, but Minor clans alsp have supplies and/or services we can trade for?

What about the Bortherhood?

Not stupid.

Minor Clans do.

Brotherhood...not so much. Vows of poverty, you know.

Two questions:

1) If we slept the required 3 sessions on the prior day, does that in and of itself restore any void points? Or, no. Only through meditation and tea ceremony?

2) I can see in the setting materials that the Imperials have blacklisted marriages with the Crane for some time. I also saw that trade deals are almost always sealed with a marriage. Is it a matter of public record and common knowledge how trade deals have been 'sealed' in the absence of marriage in that particular circumstance? It sounds like all deals are publicly discussed in court, so anyone who attended the last several years' winter courts would immediately know the answer to that. (That's not my character! But probably true of at least one delegate in any given clan and the Daimyo etc., so pretty common knowledge. It's fine if the answer is to ask in character. Just checking if this is something all PCs would already know.)

1. A good night's sleep restores Void, yes. Meditation and Tea Ceremony are "extra" Void recovery options.

2. Trade deals are more or less public record (depends on the quality of the scribes) and reasonably common knowledge to returning delegates. Details are accessible through Lore: Law, Lore: History, or Commerce / Intelligence rolls (so, yes, Sage would apply), or by conferring with willing returning court-participants. TNs will vary.