The Warring States

Feudal Japan (circa 1400s Japan), but where the legends are true, and kami roam the lands.

Themes

To be written.

System

I'll either use the DitV system, modified as necessary to enable multiple combatants (I've got a few ideas), or I'll use my own which I'll illustrate below, for use in important conflicts.

Sengoku Hold Em

In an attempt to replicate the cool-as-hell calm and instant of violence that define most samurai movie conflicts, I want to use cards. It's basically Texas Hold-Em, but the resources a character has to bet are defined by the character's aptitudes and traits.

I should note that conflicts represented by this system are rather limited - the entire resolution is simply the preamble to action - the sun glinting off a drawn blade, the narrowing of the eyes, the Japanese tumbleweed bouncing between the parties involved - then, an instant of violence, and fallout ensues. If the conflict hasn't been completely determined by then, another hand is dealt.

Dice

Raises are conducted with dice - all dice have the same value. Raising 2d4 is simply raising two dice, and anyone involved in the game must see with an equivalent number of any type of dice.

Dice are the main resource in all methods of task and conflict resolution. Dice represent the aptitude of a character, insofar as they're rolled when the character fails to determine the fallout. As such, smaller dice are more valuable in mechanical terms.

The types of dice are as follows:

Chips - chips are to represent something a character has total mastery over - they have no potential for fallout.

d4 - a d4 is something a character has a distinct advantage at, extensive training in, or a ferocious motivation.

d6 - a d6 is something the character has a competitive advantage at.

d10 - a d10 represents a character's regular ability.

d12 - a d12 is a Complication, something that tends to make the character's life more difficult.

d20 - a d20 is a Flaw, a critical weakness in the character.

Dice come in two currencies: Social and Physical. Only half a characters Social dice are available in a physical conflict, and vice versa.

Sees and Raises

The conflict plays out like a hand of Texas Hold-em: three cards face up in the middle of the table, and two cards distributed to every character involved in the conflict.

Betting is done with dice from a character's available dice pool, in the terms of what that character is willing to risk to win. For example, Rannosuke, master swordsman, could cut right to the chase in his conflict with Satsume, pushing his 3d4 "expert fencer" dice forward, and saying "I raise a blow to the head". His opponent would need to see with three dice, saying "I see that blow to the head," and then raise on his own, saying, perhaps, "I raise a cut to the vitals." Note that the effect of these moves is not determined until the hand is played out and a winner determined. Additionally, raises are placed directly in front of the character, not mixed into a general pot.

By the end of the hand, each character involved will have a set of dice in front of them, and the cards will be shown. From here, Fallout is determined.

Fallout

Once a hand is done and a winner determined, the winner should describe how the stakes of the conflict are won. Then, fallout is rolled. For the winner of the conflict, fallout dice are rolled and the two highest are added together. For the loser, fallout dice are rolled, and the two lowest added together.

If the total is less than 8, no serious harm has occurred.

If the total is between 8 and 16, an "Injury" has been sustained. The exact definition of this depends on the type of conflict; being injured in a discussion could simply mean embarrassment or a bad deal.

If the total is between 16 and 20, a "Serious Injury" has occurred. Again, this depends on the exact circumstances of the conflict.

If the total is above 20, "Death" has occurred. In social conflicts, this might mean being ostracized, while in a fistfight or swordfight, it would mean the character's death without immediate intervention.

Folding

If a character chooses to fold, they surrender the Stakes but roll no Fallout.

Group Conflicts

If there are more than two characters involved in a conflict, all present must determine whether they are "Supporting" or "Independent" parties in the conflict. If they are supporting an existing combatant, they may add their dice without reservation to the character they patronize. At the end of the conflict, they only roll the dice they supplied, while the assisted must roll all the dice he used in the conflict.

"Independent" combatants are simply dealt a hand, and must see and raise according to the usual rules. There can only be one winner in a hand, so choose appropriately!

Real-Time

Each hand, depending on circumstances, can be between two seconds of real time or several minutes.