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Gaijin

You are on the archive wiki. The new wiki is here. I was informed last night that there has been some confusion about the game given its name. The term Gaijin as it is applied here refers to the Samurai moving to the West. They are the Gaijin in this context, people who don't belong in a world that is completely alien to them. Hope that clarifies things.

<strong>The Fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate</strong>

The year is 1867 and our world has ended. A legacy that has spanned three centuries snuffed out by the ignorance of a people who confuse order with oppression and servitude with slavery. They raise hope-filled eyes to an ineffectual puppet whose forbearers lacked the strength of will to unite a fragmented people.

We will neither venerate the spirit of Emperor Komei nor bow to his bastard son Mutshuhito. If our ways are to be as nothing in their eyes then so too shall they and their people be dead to us. From this day forth we shall be Ronin, masterless in the eyes of man, servants to the Gods alone.

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>

After 200 years of self-imposed isolation Japan has once more opened its borders to the outside world. Emperor Mutshuhito kowtows to the Americans, secretly grateful for the turmoil their arrival and continued military presence has sparked. It is a period of rebirth for the country, an abandonment of the old Shogunate order and a return to the traditional seat of Japanese rule.

For the common folk it holds the promise of freedom and new opportunities from the West. For the samurai and their masters in the Shogunate it is a time of bitterness and disillusionment. They find themselves in a world that no longer recognises nor honours them and most will end their lives rather than walk their homeland as living ghosts.

There are those, however, who choose to accept the test set forth for them by the Gods. They travel on barges of steel and steam to the home of the American Oni. There they will listen and they will learn and when the time is right they will strike - not for the Emperor and not for their people but for the spirits of their ancestors who have been dishonoured by the weakness of the Japanese people.

Such is the way of Bushido.

<strong>Setting and System:</strong> The setting could best be described as a combination of L5R? and Deadlands. Players will be provided with a document detailing all relevant cultural and historical information they might require for purposes of getting into character. I've settled on ]] for system purposes - it's simple and cinematic which is exactly the style I'm looking for.

<strong>Players and availability:</strong> 4 players are sought. Given how late in the year this campaign is starting there is every possibility that it will run into January or February next year. If you won't be around next year kindly refrain from signing up, although I am quite happy to accomodate players who will be unavailable over the December vac.

<strong>Time:</strong> Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday evenings. I prefer 3-hour sessions so a start time between 5pm and 8pm would be ideal so as to accomodate work/varsity the next morning.

<strong>Venue:</strong> My apartment in Newlands. Players will be responsible for any travel arrangements that need to be made.

<strong>Sign-ups:</strong> E-mail me at AcuteApathy?@gmail.com or leave your name and e-mail address below. I reserve the right to refuse anyone entry to the game based on whatever criteria I should decide are applicable depending on my mood at any given moment. Preference will be given to those not currently involved in a game.

Ryan, your friendly neighbourhood GM.