Yeah, I've been really feeling the isolation this month. Vaccinations are so close, 'some' holidays can happen again, but I know we can't stop being vigilant because of all the different strains and idiots out on the street...

Happy Easter everyone!

Sorry for taking so long with that post. I was trying to come up with a plan in my head about what the room would look like. I ended up doing a bit of a dive into Chinese astronomy and I am not even sure it will end up being particularly helpful.

It's all good. All my other games slowed down over Easter too, hazard of the holidays.

I'm sorta mixing astrology and divination in my mind, but it's those rooms that have these things in them right?

I feel like I've seen them in anime before.

By the way, can I roll that Courtesy check for fun? Just wanna double check so I don't throw dice around for no reason.

Yes, it is fine. It is your technique.

But I don't think the impact will be immediate. I think maybe after this class I will tie in the results of having started that rumor.

Cool, edited the old post with my roll.

Are Akiro and Sanjiro still with us?

Akiro waited quite a while to be able to jump in, I know, but this is the time to join in.

I'm here, yes.  I admit I didn't know if you were moving the scene forward, or if you wanted us to socialize.

My bad, I thought I would be introduced into class. I'll post tonight. On the road right now.

Do we know who the Battue are? They seem like a very minor family.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:12, Wed 14 Apr 2021.

In reply to Otomo Ichiko (msg # 91):

I would think so. This is a largest city in the Empire, so I would think it attracts all kinds of families and that if you've lived in it you're probably taught about at least all the families in the major clans

Well, it is a fairly obscure and insular family-- even if it is in a Great Clan-- so there is every chance of never having heard of them before.

Tell you what-- if you want your character to know, you can do a roll of Earth/Culture and if you get 2 successes then you have heard of them, if you get 3 then you know they are most famous for hunting down maho-tsukai (i.e. inquisitors).

Ariko, please don't take my actions in the game as anything but me playing a silly eight year old.  Ichiko is an over serious little girl playing at being all grown up without knowing what it really means.  I love your character and am enjoying the back and forth.

Same goes to you too Sanjiro and Kano (although I think she likes Kano).

I wasn't worried Ichiko, but I appreciate the sentiment!

And don't worry, Sanjiro is somewhere between being impressed with her/wanting to one up as a matter of pride/mildly infatuated with the cold, smart girl?  So you know, pretty typical kid stuff.

Hahaha, I appreciate your character making simple interactions fun. Don't sweat it with me, I like a bit flavor between the PCs.

As opposed to most L5R games set up like this, there ought not to be particularly deep divides so much as rough edges to work out. Ideally, by the time school ends, you will all have the same goal.

Ichiko, you may have lost a strife when he told his story I just wanted the GM to confirm it.

And yes, no divides here. All it is is flavour and a chance to rp without the ST.

Should I respond first or let others talk. I'm always unsure about posting rate as I don't want to run away with a conversation that others may want to respond to first.

I'd say let's let the others jump in, got a Crab and Scorpion that need the chance to speak up/react.

Busy couple of days. I'll try and post something tonight.

I realize I forgot to address the question you asked, Ichiko.

Unmasking really doesn't mean much for children-- there really is no risk of loss of status or honor. Once you reach your gempukku, assuming you can reach it, you become a whole new person and your slate is wiped clean. So right now it is more like practicing to be an adult and if you slip up-- no big deal.

That's why I described the Strife mechanics like this:

Strife: You accumulate strife over time. After each scene you will recover 1 strife, but otherwise it adds up over time. Remember question 15-- what does your character do when overwhelmed? Well, when Strife reaches above your composure, that is when your character exhibits this behavior. If there is an additional check during that scene, then you make that check as if you make that check as if you had disadvantage but with no void point benefit simply due to the character not being able to concentrate. If the check is failed then all strife is removed from the character. It is also removed at the end of that scene regardless of whether there was such a check.


I would like to think it is less harsh than the by-the-book version which basically very much suggests you would get hit with an honor loss or have to retreat from the scene. This way you can still participate, but the character is "burned out" by having been emotionally overloaded and so any tests of memory, social skills or abilities is going to be a struggle until you have a chance to rest and unwind a bit.

Amaterasu was I able to reduce someone's or everyone's strife by 1 when I spent that opertuninty on that Earth + Theology role? It was when he spoke about Astronomy first.

Okay! Yes, that works-- use those opportunities.

Wait, so does everyone take off 1 strife? I didn't see any OOC roll.

I'ma put my Strife in my bio so I don't forget it, can I change it back to 1?

The only strife anyone should have acquired should be from the written test in the first class and maybe if you decided to do a roll to determine if you knew what the Battue family was about. Nothing else ought to have caused Strife yet.

Yes, Akiro spent an opportunity to lower the strife of those paying attention to him when he spoke of the Hunter in the Dark and of his lessons looking at the stars.